The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League season is about to begin and promises to be explosive from day one. With a new format, the first of eight matchdays in the group stage will be played over three days, from Tuesday, September 8, through Thursday, September 10, with six matches on the schedule each day.
Tuesday’s lineup: Champions, comebacks, and Mexican talent
The curtain rises at 12:45 p.m. (Eastern time) with the match between Club Brugge and Aston Villa, as well as the clash between AEK Athens and LASK.
However, the main event will take place at 3:00 p.m. when the Kings of Europe, Real Madrid, host Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu. At the same time, Borussia Dortmund will host Villarreal.
The Mexican contingent could also see action on this opening matchday. Santiago Giménez will look to stun Manchester City during their visit to Porto, while former Americanista Álvaro Fidalgo could get some playing time with Betis against Lille (both at 3:00 p.m.).
Wednesday: Giants and defending champions
The action continues on Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. with Barcelona’s highly anticipated debut against Feyenoord, alongside the Stuttgart vs. Viking match.
At 3:00 p.m., the defending champion, Paris Saint-Germain, will begin its quest for a second consecutive title against S. Bratislava. In other high-stakes matchups, Liverpool will face Atlético Madrid, Napoli will host runner-up Arsenal, and Sporting CP will take on Galatasaray.
Thursday: Closing out the first matchday in style
Matchday 1 will conclude on Thursday. At 12:45 p.m., PSV will face Shakhtar, and Fenerbahçe will take on Roma.
At 3:00 p.m., Bayern Munich will look to assert its dominance against Bodo/Glimt, while Manchester United will face Sabah, Slavia Prague will take on Lens, and Como will make its debut against Leipzig.
Where to watch the matches?
All the excitement of the Champions League will be on Paramount + in the U.S.
