Uefa Champions League 2026: The 2026/27 Champions League league phase begins on 8 September
The uefa champions league 2026 competition has not yet produced a winner: the 2026/27 tournament begins its league phase on Tuesday 8 September. Paris Saint-Germain are attempting to win a third consecutive title, while Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are among the leading challengers.
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase begins on 8 September
The opening stage features 36 teams, with each club playing across eight matchdays. The top eight in the league table will qualify directly for the last 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will enter a play-off round for the remaining knockout places. The competition then moves to two-legged ties before the final at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on 5 June next year. The Analyst’s Champions League predictions
UEFA’s confirmed league-phase field includes five English clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United. Other prominent entrants include Barcelona, Bayern München, Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. UEFA’s guide to the 2026/27 league-phase teams
Matchday 1 includes Aston Villa’s meeting with Club Brugge and Real Madrid’s match against Inter. UEFA says Club Brugge have lost three of their last 22 European home matches, while Villa have lost three of their last 21 UEFA group-stage or league-phase matches. Real Madrid have won their opening Champions League fixture in 17 of their last 19 campaigns, according to UEFA’s pre-match statistics. UEFA’s Matchday 1 preview
Who is expected to win?
There is no settled consensus among the available forecasts. The Opta-based model published by The Analyst ranks Arsenal first, giving them a 20.9% chance of winning after 10,000 simulations. Bayern Munich were second at 19.4%, Manchester City were the only other team above 10% at 12.3%, and reigning champions PSG were fifth at 7.1%. The Analyst’s model
Arsenal’s case is linked to their previous campaign: they topped the 2025/26 league phase after winning all eight matches and then reached the final, where they lost to PSG on penalties, according to the Racing Post’s preview. Bayern are also presented as serious contenders after finishing second in the league phase last season and winning the Bundesliga by 16 points. Racing Post’s 2026/27 preview
BBC football experts also identify Arsenal, Bayern and PSG as leading candidates, although their personal selections differ. One BBC prediction backs Arsenal to win, while another expects PSG to remain close to the title and names Barcelona among the teams capable of reaching the latter stages. BBC’s Champions League predictions
PSG’s title defence and the unresolved picture
PSG are seeking a third successive Champions League title after winning the 2025 and 2026 finals, as described in the published previews. A successful defence would match an achievement last completed by Real Madrid, according to the BBC and Sporting Life. Sporting Life’s Champions League preview
The forecasts remain provisional because the league phase has not started and the knockout draw is not yet established in the available reporting. For now, the confirmed position is that PSG are the holders, Arsenal are among the main favourites, and the first competitive results of the 2026/27 campaign are due from 8 September.