Champions League league phase opens with Real Madrid and Man City wins
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The gist
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase began with Real Madrid beating Inter 2-1 and Manchester City winning 2-0 at Porto.
The eight-matchday phase runs to 27 January, when 18 games kick off at once.
Background
The Champions League is UEFA's top European club competition, and UEFA (its organizer) publishes the fixtures and results. This season's league phase replaces the old group stage with eight matchdays spread over five months, from 8 September 2026 to 27 January 2027, before the knockout rounds start in February. Including qualifying, 81 teams from 53 UEFA member countries take part. The schedule is in the news now because Matchday 3 is under way, with PSG hosting Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on 20 October.
How it unfolded
- Sep 8, 2026The league phase kicks off; Real Madrid beat Inter 2-1, Manchester City win 2-0 at Porto and Borussia Dortmund beat Villarreal 3-2.
- Sep 9, 2026Barcelona thrash Feyenoord 5-1, PSG beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1 and Arsenal win 1-0 at Napoli.
- Oct 13, 2026Arsenal beat Lille 3-0, Barcelona win 4-1 at Galatasaray and Club Brugge edge Inter 4-3.
- Oct 20, 2026Matchday 3 begins: PSG beat Barcelona 4-2, Liverpool beat Villarreal 4-3 and Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1.
- Oct 21, 2026Matchday 3 continues with Bayern München vs Arsenal, Real Madrid vs Leipzig and Aston Villa vs Viking, among others.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- UEFA says the league phase runs from 8 September 2026 to 27 January 2027, with kick-offs at 21:00 CET unless stated, and ends with 18 simultaneous games.
- Analysts
- The False 9's Arjun Rao says Bayern vs Arsenal is a fixture to keep defenders away from, with Michael Olise suspended and William Saliba and Piero Hincapié flagged injured.