Who plays in the UCL this week? Matchday 1 schedule | Real Madrid, Man City...

The UEFA Champions League returns this week with the first round of fixtures in the 2025/26 league phase. As was the case last season, there will be some mouthwatering clashes from the start thanks to the competition’s recently adopted format. Liverpool’s home clash against Atlético Madrid and Chelsea’s visit to Bayern Munich are arguably the standout games on Matchday 1.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, start off against French club Marseille at the Bernabéu, with Barcelona visiting Newcastle United, and Manchester City hosting Napoli.

Champions League 2025/26 league phase, Matchday 1 schedule

All times ET.

Tuesday, September 16

12:45 Athletic Club vs Arsenal

12:45 PSV Eindhoven vs Union Saint-Gilloise

15:00 Juventus vs Borussia Dortmund

15:00 Real Madrid vs Marseille

15:00 Benfica vs Qarabağ

15:00 Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal

Wednesday, September 17

12:45 Olympiacos vs Pafos

12:45 Slavia Praha vs Bodø/Glimt

15:00 Ajax vs Inter Milan

15:00 Bayern Munich vs Chelsea

15:00 Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid

15:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs Atalanta

Thursday, September 18

12:45 Club Brugge vs Monaco

12:45 Copenhagen vs Bayer Leverkusen

15:00 Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray

15:00 Manchester City vs Napoli

15:00 Newcastle United vs Barcelona

15:00 Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Kairat Almaty

Why are there Champions League games on a Thursday?

The opening week of the 2025/26 Champions League will be played across three days: Tuesday, Sept. 17; Wednesday, Sept. 18; and Thursday, Sept. 19.

This marks a departure from previous years, when Tuesday and Wednesday were the traditional days for Champions League action. Thursdays have historically been reserved for the Europa League and, more recently, the Conference League.

That general structure will remain in place going forward, but this week has been designated as an “exclusive week” for the Champions League. Across the season, each of UEFA’s three club competitions will receive priority for one week, with no matches scheduled in either of the other two tournaments.

Champions League 2025/26 league phase format

The expanded competition features 36 teams in the opening round, which is now known as the league phase. Under the “Swiss model” format, clubs will face eight different opponents — four at home and four away — to be ranked in a 36-team table.

Once each team has played eight games, the top eight clubs in the table will qualify directly for the round of 16, which begins in March. The 16 teams finishing between ninth and 24th will meet in a two-legged playoff in February, with the eight winners completing the lineup for the last 16.

From that point on, the Champions League will revert to its traditional knockout format.