Champions League Returns as PSG Seek Historic Three-Peat

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League begins Tuesday with six matches as 36 of Europe's top clubs start their eight-match league-phase campaigns.

Among the opening-day highlights are Real Madrid hosting Inter Milan and Manchester City visiting Porto, while Borussia Dortmund face Villarreal.

Club Brugge host Aston Villa and Lille take on Real Betis, with AEK Athens facing LASK in the early kickoff.

The new season comes with Paris Saint-Germain looking to make history after retaining the trophy last season.

PSG defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 2026 final in Budapest, becoming only the second club in the Champions League era to win the competition in consecutive seasons after Real Madrid's three straight titles from 2016 to 2018.

Arsenal's defeat capped a remarkable European campaign, while PSG showed the resilience that has made them one of the continent's strongest teams under Luis Enrique.

The French champions will begin their title defence Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava.

The new campaign again features the expanded league-phase format, with every team playing eight matches against different opponents.

The top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout playoffs.

With Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Arsenal and PSG among the contenders, the race for Europe's biggest club prize promises another season of high-profile clashes.