This will be the third edition of the new Champions League formatThe group stages have been replaced with a 36-team league stage where each team faces eight different opponents in the usual home and away format
Published: September 7, 2026, 4:11 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/football/uefa-champions-league-2026-27-preview-all-you-need-to-know-about-europes-elite-club-competition-8518767/
Members of PSG celebrate their victory during the awarding ceremony after the UEFA Champions League final match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, May 30, 2026(Xinhua via IANS)
The greatest club football competition in the world – the UEFA Champions League returns for the 2026-27 season tomorrow with a total of 18 matchday one fixtures lined up from Wednesday to FridayThis year’s competition will see four teams – Como, Sabah, Lask and Viking – make their debuts and they will be hoping to go as far as possible in what is the third edition of the European league’s new league format.
Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are the masters of the new format, winning back-to-back Champions League titles, an honour that eluded them for many yearsPSG broke the deadlock two years ago in Munich under the coaching of Luis Enrique, who appears to have transformed this Parisian side completely.
Read more:
WATCH: PSG stun Arsenal in dramatic penalty-shootout to win UEFA Champions League 2026 title
Earlier this year in Budapest, PSG confirmed their second consecutive title with a 4-3 win (on penalties) against English Premier League champions Arsenal.
Paris will begin their title defense against a relatively weaker Slovan Bratislava side followed by a trip to England to take on Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City, who are the last English clubs to win the competition when they won the famous European treble in 2023. PSG will also welcome this year’s favorites FC Barcelona on matchday three.
Speaking of Barcelona, the Catalan giants made a big move this summer with the acquisition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup winning midfielder Rodri, who was also adjudged player of the tournament back in JulyThe Catalans also signed English winger Anthony Gordon and got rid of Ferran Torres, who left for the reigning European winners in the summer transfer window.
Record 15-time champions Real Madrid will hope for their fortunes to turnaround under the returning manager Jose Mourinho, who did not waste much time to rebuild the squadHe brought in the likes of Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Yan Diomande for a club record fee of 125 million euros.
Los Blancos will begin their campaign with a clash against Inter and they will also take on last season’s runners-up Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking of the Premier League, all eyes will be on English clubs, who have spent a lot of money on summer signings2023 champions Manchester City lead the line, having spent more than 400 million dollars on midfielders Enzo Fernandez, Eliott Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Their crosstown rivals Manchester United, two-time winners of the Champions League, are also set for a blockbuster returnLiverpool, who spent big on French attacker Bradley Barcola, will be joined by last season’s UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa.
What is the current Champions League format?
This will be the third edition of the new Champions League formatThe group stages have been replaced with a 36-team league stage where each team faces eight different opponents in the usual home and away format.
The top eight will advance to the knockouts automatically whereas teams from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout phase play-offs roundThe first round will conclude on January 27th.
When and where to watch?
The UEFA Champions League 2026-27 season will be broadcasted live on the Sony LIV app/website as well as the Sony Sports network.
