UEFA Champions League 2025-26: League phase format explained, round dates, fixtures for every club

The draw for the 2025-26 Champions League league phase has been made, and a host of Europe's elite teams are set to battle it out in the biggest club competition in the world. 

Europe's premier club competition underwent a format change last season, with the group stage being replaced with a new 36-team league table for the opening exchanges in the tournament. 

Here's a reminder of how the current league phase works in the Champions League. 

How does the Champions League format work?

Thirty-six teams have formed a first-round league stage for the new season. Each side will play eight games, four at home and four away—but not against the same opposition. These games will run until the end of January 2026. 

Who qualifies from the League phase?

At the end of the League Phase, the top eight sides in the table will qualify automatically to the knockout stage. Teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest a knockout play-off round, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th the seeded team. The winners of those games will progress to the last 16.

Sides finishing 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the European competition altogether. 

Where is this season's Champions League final?

Hungary will stage the 2025/26 season final. It will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30, 2026.

Champions League 2025/26 league-phase match dates and schedule

• Matchday 1:  September 16-18
• Matchday 2:  September 30-October 1
• Matchday 3:  October 21/22
• Matchday 4:  November 4/5
• Matchday 5 : November 25/26
• Matchday 6:  December 9/10
• Matchday 7:  January 20/21
• Matchday 8 : January 28

Champions League 2025/26 knockout match dates and schedule

January 30, 2026, will see the draw for the two-legged knockout-phase play-offs.

The draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals then occurs on February 27.

• Knockout phase play-offs:  February 17/18 and 24/25
• Round of 16:  March 10/11 and 17/18
• Quarter-finals: April 7/8 and 14/15
• Semi-finals: April 28/29 and May 5/6
• Final:  May 30

Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

How to watch the Champions League on DAZN

Soccer fans in Canada and New Zealand can watch every Champions League match this season live on DAZN with a subscription. Click here for subscription options, prices and more .

Fans in the US can watch three Champions League matches per match week - typically the top three games of each round - in Spanish language. 

The Champions League 2025/26 fixtures for every team 

Bayern Munich

• Chelsea (H)
• Paris Saint-Germain (A)
• Club Brugge (H)
• Arsenal (A)
• Sporting (H)
• PSV (A)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (H)
• Pafos (A)

Chelsea

• Barcelona (H)
• Bayern (A)
• Benfica (H)
• Atalanta (A)
• Ajax (H)
• Napoli (A)
• Pafos (H)
• Qarabag (A)

Real Madrid

• Manchester City (H)
• Liverpool (A)
• Juventus (H)
• Benfica (A)
• Marseille (H)
• Olympiacos (A)
• Monaco (H)
• Kairat (A)

Inter Milan

• Liverpool (H)
• Borussia Dortmund (A)
• Arsenal (H)
• Atletico Madrid (A)
• Slavia Prague (H)
• Ajax (A)
• Kairat (H)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (A)

Borussia Dortmund

• Inter (H)
• Manchester City (A)
• Villarreal (H)
• Juventus (A)
• Bodø/Glimt (H)
• Tottenham Hotspur (A)
• Athletic Bilbao (H)
• Copenhagen (A)

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Barcelona

• Paris Saint-Germain (H)
• Chelsea (A)
• Eintracht Frankfurt (H)
• Club Brugge (A)
• Olympiacos (H)
• Slavia Prague (A)
• Copenhagen (H)
• Newcastle United (A)

Paris Saint-Germain 

• Bayern Munich (H)
• Barcelona (A)
• Atalanta (H)
• Bayer Leverkusen (A)
• Tottenham Hotspur (H)
• Sporting CP (A)
• Newcastle United (H)
• Athletic Bilbao (A)

Manchester City 

• Borussia Dortmund (H)
• Real Madrid (A)
• Bayer Leverkusen (H)
• Villarreal (A)
• Napoli (H)
• Bodø/Glimt (A)
• Galatasaray (H)
• Monaco (A)

Bayer Leverkusen

• Paris Saint-Germain (H)
• Manchester City (A)
• Villarreal (H)
• Benfica (A)
• PSV Eindhoven (H)
• Olympiacos (A)
• Newcastle United (H)
• Copenhagen (A)

Arsenal

• Bayern Munich (H)
• Inter Milan (A)
• Atlético Madrid (H)
• Club Brugge (A)
• Olympiacos (H)
• Slavia Prague (A)
• Kairat (H)
• Athletic Club (A)

Atalanta

• Chelsea (H)
• Paris Saint-Germain (A)
• Club Brugge (H)
• Eintracht Frankfurt (A)
• Slavia Prague (H)
• Marseille (A)
• Athletic Club (H)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (A)

Benfica

• Real Madrid (H)
• Chelsea (A)
• Bayer Leverkusen (H)
• Juventus (A)
• Napoli (H)
• Ajax (A)
• Qarabağ (H)
• Newcastle United (A)

Club Brugge

• Barcelona (H)
• Bayern Munich (A)
• Arsenal (H)
• Atalanta (A)
• Marseille (H)
• Sporting CP (A)
• Monaco (H)
• Kairat (A)

Eintracht Frankfurt

• Liverpool (H)
• Barcelona (A)
• Atalanta (H)
• Atlético Madrid (A)
• Tottenham Hotspur (H)
• Napoli (A)
• Galatasaray (H)
• Qarabağ (A)

Juventus

• Borussia Dortmund (H)
• Real Madrid (A)
• Benfica (H)
• Villarreal (A)
• Sporting CP (H)
• Bodø/Glimt (A)
• Pafos (H)
• Monaco (A)

Villarreal

• Manchester City (H) 
• Borussia Dortmund (A) 
• Juventus (H) 
• Bayer Leverkusen (A) 
• Ajax (H) 
• Tottenham Hotspur (A) 
• Copenhagen (H) 
• Pafos (A)

Marseille

• Liverpool (H) 
• Real Madrid (A) 
• Atalanta (H) 
• Club Brugge (A) 
• Ajax (H) 
• Sporting CP (A) 
• Newcastle United (H) 
• Union Saint-Gilloise (A)

Tottenham Hotspur

• Borussia Dortmund (H) 
• Paris Saint-Germain (A) 
• Villarreal (H) 
• Eintracht Frankfurt (A) 
• Slavia Prague (H) 
• Bodø/Glimt (A) 
• Copenhagen (H) 
• Monaco (A)

Bodo/Glimt

• Manchester City (H) 
• Borussia Dortmund (A) 
• Juventus (H) 
• Atlético Madrid (A) 
• Tottenham Hotspur (H) 
• Slavia Prague (A) 
• Monaco (H) 
• Galatasaray (A)

Sporting

• Paris Saint-Germain (H) 
• Bayern Munich (A) 
• Club Brugge (H) 
• Juventus (A) 
• Marseille (H) 
• Napoli (A) 
• Kairat (H) 
• Athletic Bilbao (A)

(C)Getty Images

Olympiacos

• Real Madrid (H) 
• Barcelona (A) 
• Bayer Leverkusen (H) 
• Arsenal (A) 
• PSV Eindhoven (H) 
• Ajax (A) 
• Pafos (H) 
• Kairat (A)

Ajax

• Inter (H) 
• Chelsea (A) 
• Benfica (H) 
• Villarreal (A) 
• Olympiacos (H) 
• Marseille (A) 
• Galatasaray (H) 
• Qarabağ (A)

Slavia Prague

• Barcelona (H) 
• Inter Milan (A) 
• Arsenal (H) 
• Atalanta (A) 
• Bodø/Glimt (H) 
• Tottenham Hotspur (A) 
• Athletic Bilbao (H) 
• Pafos (A)

PSV

• Bayern Munich (H) 
• Liverpool (A) 
• Atlético Madrid (H) 
• Bayer Leverkusen (A) 
• Napoli (H) 
• Olympiacos (A) 
• Union Saint-Gilloise (H) 
• Newcastle United (A)

Napoli

• Chelsea (H) 
• Manchester City (A) 
• Eintracht Frankfurt (H) 
• Benfica (A) 
• Sporting CP (H) 
• PSV Eindhoven (A) 
• Qarabağ (H) 
• Copenhagen (A)

Athletic Club

• Paris Saint-Germain (H) 
• Borussia Dortmund (A) 
• Arsenal (H) 
• Atalanta (A) 
• Sporting CP (H) 
• Slavia Prague (A)
• Qarabağ (H) 
• Newcastle United (A)

LALIGA

Qarabag

• Chelsea (H) 
• Liverpool (A) 
• Eintracht Frankfurt (H) 
• Benfica (A) 
• Ajax (H) 
• Napoli (A) 
• Copenhagen (H)
• Athletic Bilbao (A)

Monaco

• Manchester City (H) 
• Real Madrid (A) 
• Juventus (H) 
• Club Brugge (A) 
• Tottenham Hotspur (H) 
• Bodø/Glimt (A) 
• Galatasaray (H) 
• Pafos (A)

Galatasaray

• Liverpool (H) 
• Manchester City (A) 
• Atlético Madrid (H) 
• Eintracht Frankfurt (A) 
• Bodø/Glimt (H) 
• Ajax (A) 
• Union Saint-Gilloise (H) 
• Monaco (A)

Newcastle United 

• Barcelona (H) 
• Paris Saint-Germain (A) 
• Benfica (H) 
• Bayer Leverkusen (A) 
• PSV Eindhoven (H) 
• Marseille (A) 
• Athletic Bilbao (H) 
• Union Saint-Gilloise (A)

(Getty Images)

Union Saint-Gilloise 

• Inter Milan (H) 
• Bayern Munich (A) 
• Atalanta (H) 
• Atlético Madrid (A) 
• Marseille (H) 
• PSV Eindhoven (A) 
• Newcastle United (H) 
• Galatasaray (A )

Copenhagen 

• Borussia Dortmund (H) 
• Barcelona (A) 
• Bayer Leverkusen (H) 
• Villarreal (A) 
• Napoli (H) 
• Tottenham Hotspur (A) 
• Kairat (H) 
• Qarabağ (A)

Pafos

• Bayern Munich (H) 
• Chelsea (A) 
• Villarreal (H) 
• Juventus (A) 
• Slavia Prague (H) 
• Olympiacos (A) 
• Monaco (H) 
• Kairat (A)

Kairat Almaty 

• Real Madrid (H)
• Inter Milan (A) 
• Club Brugge (H) 
• Arsenal (A) 
• Olympiacos (H) 
• Sporting CP (A) 
• Pafos (H) 
• Copenhagen (A)