UEFA Champions League 2026/27 kick-off: Real Madrid face Inter Milan, Liverpool host Atletico Madrid on opening week

UEFA Champions League 2026/27 will officially start on September 8, 2026 and run through September 11, 2026 with the first round of the league phase. Real Madrid host Inter Milan at Santiago Bernabeu on September 9 at 02:00 Vietnam time. Liverpool play Atletico Madrid at Anfield on September 10 at 02:00. Napoli face Arsenal, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain take on Slovan Bratislava at home. The new format places all 36 teams in a single table. Each team plays eight league-phase matches. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th enter the play-offs. Early points are valuable because every result affects the final standing. Real Madrid versus Inter Milan is a showdown between two European heavyweights at Bernabeu. Real Madrid have home advantage and deep European experience. Inter Milan bring tactical discipline and defensive stability. Liverpool versus Atletico Madrid is the most interesting tactical duel. Liverpool press high and play at high speed, while Atletico defend deeply and rely on counter-attacks. Napoli and Arsenal are likely to produce a technical match, while Paris Saint-Germain need a strong win over Slovan Bratislava to build goal difference and confidence. The opening week of the 2026/27 Champions League will not decide the winner, but it will reveal which teams are ready for a long campaign and able to handle pressure in the new league-phase format.