Champions League 2026/27: All fixtures for league phase revealed

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League season will kick off in September, with 36 teams set to compete in the league phase under the competition’s new format.

The first round of league-phase matches is scheduled to take place from September 8 to 10, 2026.

Each club will play eight matches against different opponents before the competition moves into the knockout stage.

The league phase will continue until January 2027, with the final set of matches scheduled to be played on January 27.

The competition’s new format, which was introduced in the 2024/25 season, sees all 36 teams placed in one league table rather than being separated into traditional groups.

Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games played at home and four away.

The opponents are selected from four seeding pots, with each club facing two teams from each pot.

The top eight teams in the league standings at the end of the eight matchdays will automatically qualify for the round of 16.

Teams finishing from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining eight places in the round of 16. Clubs that finish between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from European competition.

The league-phase schedule is as follows:

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

Following the conclusion of the league phase, the knockout-stage play-offs will be contested over two legs on February 16/17 and February 23/24, 2027.

The round of 16 will then take place on March 9/10 and March 16/17, while the quarter-finals are scheduled for April 6/7 and April 13/14.

The semi-final first legs will be played on April 27/28, with the return legs taking place on May 4/5.

The Champions League final is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.

The new league-phase system means clubs must navigate a longer and more competitive opening stage, with every result potentially having an impact on their position in the table and their route to the knockout rounds.

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