Europe's biggest club competition returns this week, and the opening league-phase fixtures immediately deliver several heavyweight clashes. The 2026/27 Champions League league phase begins on Tuesday, September 8, when Real Madrid host Inter Milan at the Bernabéu and Porto face Manchester City. A day later, on September 9, Liverpool host Atlético Madrid — a repeat of last season's opener, which Liverpool won 3-2 at Anfield — while Napoli face Arsenal.
These games arrive immediately after one of the most expensive transfer windows in football history. Manchester City have added Enzo Fernández and Iliman Ndiaye; Liverpool have brought in Bradley Barcola; Arsenal have strengthened their squad further. Real Madrid and Inter remain among Europe's most experienced Champions League competitors, adding extra intrigue to their opening clash.
The competition's format remains the “Swiss model” introduced two seasons ago: 36 clubs in a single league table, each playing eight league-phase matches against different opponents, with the top sides advancing directly to the knockout phase and others entering a play-off round. The league phase runs until January 27, 2027. The opening matchdays will start answering an important question: which of Europe's biggest summer spenders have actually improved?