Written with the help of artificial-intelligence tools and checked by automated controls.
The Champions League resumes this Tuesday, September 8, with a first matchday spread through Thursday, and the schedule immediately sets the tone. The 36-team format enters its third season, Paris Saint-Germain puts two European titles back on the line, Lille starts at home, Lens returns to the continental stage, and several fixtures already have the feel of springtime even though autumn has not yet begun.
A start over three nights
UEFA has confirmed an opening league phase from September 8 to 10, with 18 matches on the menu.
UEFA has confirmed an opening league phase from September 8 to 10, with 18 matches on the menu. The first night features Real Madrid-Inter, Porto-Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund-Villarreal and Lille-Real Betis in particular. The following day, PSG hosts Slovan Bratislava, Arsenal travels to Naples and Liverpool welcomes Atlético de Madrid. On Thursday, Lens will play away to Slavia Prague, while Bayern Munich hosts Bodo/Glimt.
This distribution provides a gradual but packed start. The new format, now firmly established, leaves less room for calculations within a group of four. Every point counts in a single league where the top eight go directly through to the round of 16, while clubs ranked from ninth to twenty-fourth must go through a playoff. In short: a poor start is not fatal, but it quickly forces teams to chase the standings.
Paris defends a rare position
PSG arrives with a status that few clubs have held in recent history: defending champion twice over. Le Monde notes that the final of this 72nd edition is scheduled for June 5, 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, and that the entire field is now aiming for the Parisian throne. After a turbulent start to the domestic season, Paris will first look to restore order against Slovan Bratislava before facing a much tougher European schedule.
The Parisian run will quickly set the tone, with Manchester City followed by Barcelona in October. The draw has therefore placed the champions in a paradoxical position: obvious favorites based on their recent record, but exposed very early to opponents capable of turning the league phase into a test of authority. For Luis Enrique, the stakes go beyond simply getting points on the board. Paris must show that its European cycle is not already a story to defend, but still a team capable of imposing the pace.
Lille and Lens tested against their level
On the French side, Lille opens on Tuesday against Real Betis. It is a manageable entry on paper, but far from comfortable in a competition where gaps are costly. The Dogues' schedule will then step up a gear, with Arsenal away, Galatasaray, and then Bayern Munich at Villeneuve-d'Ascq in late November. For a team aiming at a place in the top 24 at minimum, hosting Betis is already worth more than a simple opening match.
Lens, meanwhile, returns to the Champions League with an away trip to Prague. Racing will have to navigate a league phase that will then offer Sporting CP, Club Bruges, Como, Leipzig, Bodo/Glimt, Manchester City and Liverpool. There will be gala evenings, of course, but also trap matches against less glamorous opponents. That is often where a successful European campaign takes shape: not only in standing up to the giants, but in the ability to take the accessible points.
A truly large number of outsiders
The first matchday also highlights the depth of the field. Real Madrid-Inter brings together two monuments, Arsenal-Naples pits a recent finalist against an ambitious Italian champion, Liverpool-Atlético promises an intense collision, and Bayern remains among the natural contenders. Alongside them, the arrival of clubs such as Como, LASK or Sabah serves as a reminder that the new formula broadens the European map.
This edition therefore begins with a dual promise: immediate clashes for the general public, and a longer, less readable, sometimes more ruthless battle in the standings. The three French clubs do not have the same status, but they share the same urgency: to collect points before the schedule begins sorting things out without asking permission.