2026-27 UEFA Champions League Schedule: Dates, Fixtures, and Key Matchups

2026-27 UEFA Champions League Overview

The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League season promises intense competition as Paris Saint-Germain aim to secure a third consecutive title. Their group stage features challenging matches against European giants Barcelona and Manchester City.

Arsenal, runners-up last season, face a tough group including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund. Here's a detailed look at the full schedule, including league phase fixtures and knockout rounds.

League Phase Matchdays and Format

The league phase starts in early September 2026, with 36 teams competing across eight rounds. Teams will battle for top positions to advance:

• Top 8: Direct qualification to Round of 16 (bypass playoffs)
• 9th-16th: Enter knockout-playoff round seeded against clubs ranked 17th-24th
• 25th-36th: Eliminated from European competitions, no drop to Europa or Conference Leagues

Playoff winners join the direct qualifiers in the Round of 16. The final knockout draw sets up the path through quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.

League Phase Matchdays

• Round 1: Sep 8-10, 2026
• Round 2: Oct 13-14, 2026
• Round 3: Oct 20-21, 2026
• Round 4: Nov 3-4, 2026
• Round 5: Nov 24-25, 2026
• Round 6: Dec 8-9, 2026
• Round 7: Jan 19-20, 2027
• Round 8: Jan 27, 2027

Knockout Phase Dates

• Knockout Playoffs 1st leg: Feb 16-17, 2027
• Knockout Playoffs 2nd leg: Feb 23-24, 2027
• Round of 16 1st leg: Mar 9-10, 2027
• Round of 16 2nd leg: Mar 16-17, 2027
• Quarterfinals 1st leg: Apr 6-7, 2027
• Quarterfinals 2nd leg: Apr 13-14, 2027
• Semifinals 1st leg: Apr 27-28, 2027
• Semifinals 2nd leg: May 4-5, 2027
• Final: Jun 5, 2027 at Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

Selected Matchday One Fixtures (September 8-10, 2026)

• AEK Athens 1-0 LASK – Allwyn Arena
• Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa – Jan Breydel Stadium
• Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal – Signal Iduna Park
• Porto 0-2 Manchester City – Estadio do Dragao
• Lille 2-3 Real Betis – Stade Pierre-Mauroy
• Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan – Santiago Bernabeu
• Barcelona vs. Feyenoord – Camp Nou
• Stuttgart vs. Viking – MHPArena
• Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid – Anfield
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Slovan Bratislava – Parc des Princes
• Sporting CP vs. Galatasaray – Estadio Jose Alvalade
• Napoli vs. Arsenal – Est. Diego Armando Maradona
• Fenerbahce vs. Roma – Sukru Saracoglu Stadium
• PSV vs. Shakhtar Donetsk – Philips Stadion
• Como vs. RB Leipzig – Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
• Bayern Munich vs. Bodo/Glimt – Allianz Arena
• Manchester United vs. Sabah – Old Trafford
• Slavia Prague vs. Lens – Fortuna Arena

Notes on Venues

• Shakhtar Donetsk plays home games at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge due to the conflict in Ukraine.
• Real Betis hosts matches at Seville’s La Cartuja during renovations of Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Knockout Stage Draws and Details

The knockout playoff draw occurs on January 29, 2027, pairing teams ranked 9th-16th with those ranked 17th-24th from the league phase. Following this, the Round of 16 draw is scheduled for February 27, 2027, laying out the entire tournament bracket through to the final.

Key Knockout Dates

• Playoffs first legs: Feb 16-17, 2027
• Playoffs second legs: Feb 23-24, 2027
• Round of 16 first legs: Mar 9-10, 2027
• Round of 16 second legs: Mar 16-17, 2027
• Quarterfinal first legs: Apr 6-7, 2027
• Quarterfinal second legs: Apr 13-14, 2027
• Semifinal first legs: Apr 27-28, 2027
• Semifinal second legs: May 4-5, 2027
• Final match: Jun 5, 2027 at Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid

Full League Phase Fixtures: Selected Highlights

Matchday Two (October 13-14, 2026)

• Lens vs. Sporting CP – Stade Bollaert-Delelis
• Sabah vs. Slavia Prague – Bank Respublika Arena
• Arsenal vs. Lille – Emirates Stadium
• Atletico Madrid vs. Manchester United – Estadio Metropolitano
• Inter Milan vs. Club Brugge – San Siro
• Galatasaray vs. Barcelona – Rams Park
• RB Leipzig vs. PSV – Red Bull Arena
• Viking vs. Bayern Munich – Lyse Arena
• Villarreal vs. Napoli – Estadio de la Ceramica
• Feyenoord vs. Como – De Kuip
• LASK vs. Liverpool – Raiffeisen Arena
• Roma vs. Real Madrid – Stadio Olimpico
• Aston Villa vs. Fenerbahce – Villa Park
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. AEK Athens – Stamford Bridge
• Bodo/Glimt vs. Borussia Dortmund – Aspmyra Stadion
• Manchester City vs. Paris Saint-Germain – Etihad Stadium
• Real Betis vs. Porto – Estadio La Cartuja
• Slovan Bratislava vs. Stuttgart – Tehelne pole

Matchday Three (October 20-21, 2026)

• Fenerbahce vs. Slavia Prague – Sukru Saracoglu Stadium
• Sabah vs. Borussia Dortmund – Bank Respublika Arena
• Roma vs. Slovan Bratislava – Stadio Olimpico
• Porto vs. PSV – Estadio do Dragao
• Liverpool vs. Villarreal – Anfield
• Manchester City vs. AEK Athens – Etihad Stadium
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona – Parc des Princes
• Napoli vs. Bodo/Glimt – Est. Diego Armando Maradona
• Stuttgart vs. Atletico Madrid – MHPArena
• Como vs. Manchester United – Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia
• Lille vs. Galatasaray – Stade Pierre-Mauroy
• Aston Villa vs. Viking – Villa Park
• Club Brugge vs. Lens – Jan Breydel Stadium
• Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal – Allianz Arena
• Inter Milan vs. Shakhtar Donetsk – San Siro
• Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig – Santiago Bernabeu
• Real Betis vs. Feyenoord – Estadio La Cartuja
• Sporting CP vs. LASK – Estadio Jose Alvalade

Matchday Four (November 3-4, 2026)

• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sporting CP – Stamford Bridge
• Galatasaray vs. Stuttgart – Rams Park
• Atletico Madrid vs. Bayern Munich – Estadio Metropolitano
• Barcelona vs. Aston Villa – Camp Nou
• Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan – De Kuip
• Bodo/Glimt vs. Lille – Aspmyra Stadion
• LASK vs. Slovan Bratislava – Raiffeisen Arena
• Manchester United vs. Roma – Old Trafford
• Villarreal vs. Paris Saint-Germain – Estadio de la Ceramica
• AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid – Allwyn Arena
• Fenerbahce vs. Liverpool – Sukru Saracoglu Stadium
• Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Betis – Signal Iduna Park
• Porto vs. Napoli – Estadio do Dragao
• PSV vs. Club Brugge – Philips Stadion
• RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City – Red Bull Arena
• Lens vs. Como – Stade Bollaert-Delelis
• Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal – Fortuna Arena
• Viking vs. Sabah – Lyse Arena