The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League is ready to begin.
Europe’s biggest club competition returns with 36 teams, eight league-phase matches per club and some huge fixtures already confirmed.
The league phase begins on September 8, 2026 and runs until January 27, 2027, before the competition moves into the knockout rounds.
The journey will eventually end in Madrid, where the Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano on June 5, 2027.
This will be the 72nd season of Europe’s elite club competition, the 35th since it became the UEFA Champions League and the third using the expanded league-phase format.
From Real Madrid and Barcelona to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, Europe’s biggest clubs are preparing for another long road toward the trophy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Champions League 2026/27.
Which Teams Are in the Champions League 2026/27?
The league phase contains 36 clubs from across Europe.
England
- Arsenal
- Aston Villa
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
Spain
- Atlético de Madrid
- Barcelona
- Real Betis
- Real Madrid
- Villarreal
Italy
- Como
- Inter
- Napoli
- Roma
Germany
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Stuttgart
France
- Lens
- Lille
- Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal
- Porto
- Sporting CP
Netherlands
- Feyenoord
- PSV Eindhoven
Türkiye
- Fenerbahçe
- Galatasaray
Norway
- Bodø/Glimt
- Viking
Other Qualified Clubs
- AEK Athens — Greece
- Club Brugge — Belgium
- LASK — Austria
- Sabah — Azerbaijan
- Slavia Praha — Czechia
- Slovan Bratislava — Slovakia
- Shakhtar Donetsk — Ukraine
That gives us the complete 36-team league phase.
How Does the Champions League League Phase Work?
The old eight-group system is gone.
Instead, all 36 teams compete within one league table.
However, that doesn’t mean every club plays all 35 opponents.
Each team plays:
8 matches
consisting of:
4 home matches + 4 away matches
against eight different opponents.
The clubs were separated into four pots of nine teams for the draw.
Every club was then assigned:
- two opponents from Pot 1
- two from Pot 2
- two from Pot 3
- two from Pot 4
with one home and one away opponent from each pot.
Across the eight matchdays, the league phase contains 144 matches in total.
The objective is simple: collect enough points to finish as high as possible in the 36-team table.
How Do Teams Qualify for the Knockout Stage?
Once every team has completed its eight league-phase matches, the final table determines who continues.
The top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16.
Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs.
Teams finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated from European competition.
That makes every point important.
A club isn’t simply trying to qualify — finishing inside the top eight can mean avoiding two additional knockout matches in February.
Champions League 2026/27 Matchday 1 Fixtures
UEFA has now confirmed the complete schedule, and Matchday 1 will take place across September 8, 9 and 10.
Tuesday, September 8
AEK Athens vs LASK
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal
Porto vs Manchester City
Lille vs Real Betis
Real Madrid vs Inter
Wednesday, September 9
Barcelona vs Feyenoord
Stuttgart vs Viking
Liverpool vs Atlético de Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs Slovan Bratislava
Sporting CP vs Galatasaray
Napoli vs Arsenal
Thursday, September 10
Fenerbahçe vs Roma
PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Como vs RB Leipzig
Bayern Munich vs Bodø/Glimt
Manchester United vs Sabah
Slavia Praha vs Lens
And Matchday 1 already gives us several major games.
Real Madrid vs Inter Opens With a European Classic
One of the standout fixtures of the opening week is Real Madrid vs Inter.
Two clubs with enormous European histories will meet immediately at the start of the league phase.
For Real Madrid, expectations in this competition are always enormous.
For Inter, a trip to Madrid provides an immediate test of their ability to compete with Europe’s elite.
It’s exactly the kind of fixture the league-phase format was designed to produce earlier in the competition.
Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid
Anfield also gets a major European night immediately.
Liverpool host Atlético de Madrid on September 9.
These two clubs have produced memorable Champions League battles before, and their contrasting styles make the matchup particularly interesting.
For Liverpool, collecting home points against major opponents could prove crucial in the race for a top-eight finish.
For Atlético, surviving difficult away fixtures is often one of the keys to a successful European campaign.
Napoli vs Arsenal
Defending Premier League champions Arsenal begin their European campaign away to Napoli.
That means Arsenal’s attempt to conquer Europe begins with one of the toughest types of Champions League assignments: an away night in Italy.
Arsenal strengthened again during the summer after winning the 2025/26 Premier League title, and expectations will now extend beyond domestic success.
The next challenge is turning that strength into a serious Champions League run.
Porto vs Manchester City
Manchester City’s enormous summer rebuild will receive an early European examination in Portugal.
City travel to face Porto on September 8.
After investing heavily during the summer transfer window, City enter the new campaign with a significantly reshaped squad.
European matches will quickly reveal how well those new pieces fit together.
Think you know Europe’s biggest club competition? Test your Champions League knowledge, from legendary winners to unforgettable records.
The Biggest Champions League 2026/27 League-Phase Matches
Matchday 1 is only the beginning.
The full schedule contains heavyweight clashes throughout the league phase.
One of the biggest comes on Matchday 2:
Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain
City host PSG on October 14 in one of the standout matches of the early league phase.
And there are plenty more major European nights spread across the eight matchdays.
With every team facing eight different opponents rather than repeatedly playing three clubs in a four-team group, the format creates a much wider variety of matchups.
Five English Clubs Enter the League Phase
England has five representatives:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Each arrives with a different story.
Arsenal
The Premier League champions will try to turn domestic success into European glory.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s history makes them a permanent threat in this competition, and another major European campaign will be expected at Anfield.
Manchester City
A heavily rebuilt squad begins another attempt to conquer Europe.
Manchester United
United return to Europe’s biggest stage and begin at home against Azerbaijani club Sabah.
Aston Villa
Villa start their league phase away to Club Brugge and will look to establish themselves among Europe’s elite.
That gives Premier League fans five different campaigns to follow.
Spain Sends Five Teams Too
Spain also has five representatives:
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis.
Real Madrid and Barcelona naturally attract much of the attention, but Atlético remain dangerous in knockout football, while Villarreal and Betis add further depth to Spain’s challenge.
The league phase also creates the possibility of very different journeys for clubs from the same country because each receives its own eight-opponent schedule.
Champions League 2026/27 Key Dates
Here are the dates football fans need to know.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | September 8–10, 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | October 13–14, 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | October 20–21, 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | November 3–4, 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | November 24–25, 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | December 8–9, 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | January 19–20, 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | January 27, 2027 |
| Knockout Play-offs | February 16/17 & 23/24 |
| Round of 16 | March 9/10 & 16/17 |
| Quarter-finals | April 6/7 & 13/14 |
| Semi-finals | April 27/28 & May 4/5 |
| Final | June 5, 2027 |
UEFA notes that competition dates can still be subject to change.
Where Is the 2027 Champions League Final?
The Champions League final will return to Madrid.
The Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atlético Madrid, will host the final on Saturday, June 5, 2027.
It will be the stadium’s second Champions League final.
The first came in 2019, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 to win their sixth European Cup.
Madrid itself will be hosting a European Cup or Champions League final for the sixth time. Only London has hosted more.
For every club beginning the competition, that stadium is now the destination.
Who Are the Teams to Watch?
Picking a Champions League winner before the league phase begins is never easy.
But several clubs naturally enter the conversation.
Real Madrid can never be ignored in this competition.
Barcelona will expect to compete deep into the tournament.
Bayern Munich remain one of Europe’s traditional powers.
Liverpool have strengthened their attack.
Manchester City have undergone a major rebuild.
Arsenal arrive as Premier League champions.
Paris Saint-Germain again carry major expectations.
And teams such as Inter, Atlético Madrid, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund are capable of making life extremely difficult for any opponent.
The league phase should tell us very quickly which contenders are genuinely ready.
A New Champions League Journey Begins
Thirty-six clubs.
Eight matches each.
One league table.
And one destination:
Madrid.
The Champions League 2026/27 league phase begins on September 8, and the opening week already gives us Real Madrid vs Inter, Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid, Napoli vs Arsenal and Porto vs Manchester City.
By January, 144 league-phase matches will have determined which clubs continue toward the knockout rounds.
And on June 5, 2027, only two will remain.
The road to Madrid is ready to begin.
Who will lift the Champions League trophy?
