In the first-ever competitive meeting between two hallowed European clubs, Paris Saint-Germain will be favored over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final.
PSG opened as the -180 favorite to lift its first European Cup on May 31, with Inter showing +130 odds to claim its fourth European championship, according to ESPN BET odds. On the three-way line, PSG opened at even money, Inter was +265, and the draw came in at +235, though very early movement pushed that to PSG +115, Inter +220 and draw +230.
Sportsbooks and sports bettors alike largely did not expect either club to make it this far: PSG opened tied with Liverpool for sixth on BetMGM's UCL winner odds board (+1600), while Inter ranked tied for ninth with Atletico Madrid and Juventus at +2500.
Neither club saw single-digit future odds until before the quarterfinals when PSG was +333, and at that point, Inter was still +1000; Inter also had the longest odds entering the semifinals at +450.
The long odds did not entice the betting public, as ESPN BET reports just 4.1% of future wagers backing PSG and 5% backing Inter Milan, who was also outside of DraftKings' top-five most-bet teams, trailing multiple teams that had been eliminated in rounds prior. Real Madrid, for instance, garnered 20% of the bets and 16% of the money, both second-most.
Sportsbooks will also breathe a sigh of relief that semifinalists Arsenal and, particularly, Barcelona no longer have a chance to win the Champions League. Barça attracted easily the most wagers and handle at ESPN BET, DraftKings and BetMGM, who named the club as its largest liability for the tournament.
Liverpool and Real Madrid were the next two largest liabilities.
