Champions League 2025/26 Kickoff and Format Details
The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League is starting with a fresh setup that changes the usual look of Europe's top club tournament. The old group stage is gone, replaced by a league phase with more matches, new rivalries, and heightened excitement across Europe.
Paris Saint-Germain enters as the current champion, while Tottenham Hotspur joins after winning the UEFA Europa League. A total of 36 teams will compete, aiming for the final showdown in Budapest.
Schedule for the League Phase
The new league phase stretches across eight matchdays where each team faces different opponents:
- Matchday 1: September 16–18, 2025
- Matchday 2: September 30–October 1, 2025
- Matchday 3: October 21–22, 2025
- Matchday 4: November 4–5, 2025
- Matchday 5: November 25–26, 2025
- Matchday 6: December 9–10, 2025
- Matchday 7: January 20–21, 2026
- Matchday 8: January 28, 2026
The highest-ranked teams after this phase will move straight into the Round of 16, while those in the middle places must face knockout play-offs.
Knockout Stage and Final
The competition heats up after the league phase:
- Knockout Play-offs: February 17–18 and February 24–25, 2026
- Round of 16: March 10–11 and March 17–18, 2026
- Quarterfinals: April 7–8 and April 14–15, 2026
- Semifinals: April 28–29 and May 5–6, 2026
- Final: May 30, 2026, at Puskás Aréna, Budapest
Budapest's national stadium hosts its first-ever Champions League final, after previously holding the 2023 Europa League final.
Important Draw Dates
Here’s when the draws take place:
- First Qualifying Round: June 17, 2025
- Second Qualifying Round: June 18, 2025
- Third Qualifying Round: July 21, 2025
- Play-offs: August 4, 2025
- League Phase Draw: August 28, 2025
- Knockout Play-offs Draw: January 30, 2026
- Round of 16 to Final Draws: February 27, 2026
A Landmark Season Ahead
This expanded format means more matches and unexpected matchups right from the start. Clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and reigning champions PSG are all chasing European triumph in Budapest.
