The 2026-27 Champions League got underway on Matchday 1, and the opening round of fixtures delivered goals, statement wins, and a reminder of just how demanding this new-look league phase will be.

Barcelona and PSG Send an Early Warning

Barcelona put on a show at home, thrashing Feyenoord 5-1, while Paris Saint-Germain entering the competition as back-to-back champions after beating Arsenal on penalties in last season’s Budapest final were similarly ruthless, crushing Slovan Bratislava 6-1. Both results were a reminder that the group of usual suspects at the top of European football look every bit as sharp as last season.

Liverpool Edge Atlético, Arsenal Grind Out a Win in Naples

At Anfield, Liverpool held off a spirited Atlético Madrid side 2-1, while Arsenal this season’s early Premier League pacesetters too ground out a narrow 1-0 win away at Napoli, a result that will please Mikel Arteta given how difficult a trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona can be. Sporting CP also impressed, beating Galatasaray 3-1 at home.

A Longer, Tougher League Phase

This season’s competition follows the expanded format introduced a couple of years ago: 36 clubs each play eight league-phase matches four home, four away rather than facing the same familiar group-stage opponents. The full run stretches from September 8 all the way to January 27, with the top eight qualifying directly for the last 16, and the clubs ranked 9th through 24th heading into a play-off round to join them. It’s a format designed to produce more meaningful matches earlier in the season, and Matchday 1 delivered on that promise with barely a dull fixture among the headline games.

Marquee Fixtures Still to Come

The schedule only gets juicier from here. Manchester City host PSG on October 14, PSG travel to Barcelona less than a week later, and Bayern Munich welcome Arsenal to the Allianz Arena on October 20. Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in December, and by the time the league phase wraps up in late January, several of Europe’s biggest rivalries will have been renewed. The final has already been confirmed for Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 5, 2027 with PSG looking to defend the crown they lifted so dramatically last term.