Champions League New Season Starts This Week: Five Storylines to Watch

The 2026-27 Champions League season begins this week, with 36 teams playing their opening matches from Tuesday to Thursday, all aiming for next June's final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

Top teams including Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are in the competition, while Como 1907 (Italy), Sabah FK (Azerbaijan), LASK Linz (Austria), and Viking FK (Norway) will make their first Champions League appearances.

Can Paris Saint-Germain complete a third consecutive title?

Since the modern Champions League began in the 1992-93 season, only Real Madrid achieved three consecutive titles, doing so from 2016 to 2018 with Cristiano Ronaldo as a leading figure. Paris Saint-Germain hopes to join that group this season, but the challenge will be difficult.

Last season's attacking player Bradley Barcola has transferred to Liverpool, and Goncalo Ramos has transferred to AC Milan. New signings Ferran Torres and Mika Godts will need to take on more responsibility. In addition, the competition in this season's upper half of the draw is intense, with Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Inter Milan all considered title contenders.

An advantage for Paris is that head coach Luis Enrique still has Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and current Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele available.

Arsenal hopes to take the final step toward winning the title. Arsenal started last season's Champions League with eight straight victories and did not slow down in the knockout stages. The original text does not provide later knockout opponents, scores, or final details, so they are not expanded on here.

Head coach Mikel Arteta has retained most of the key players from last season's Premier League-winning squad, including Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Declan Rice, as well as main scorers Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka. In the summer, Arsenal signed Greek forward Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, giving Arteta more options.

There are a notable number of Canadian players. At least five Canada internationals will participate in this season's Champions League, and they come from Canada's squad that competed in FIFA events this summer. The original text only mentions the number and does not list specific names or clubs, so they are not expanded on here.

Four new teams add more uncertainty to the competition. Como 1907, Sabah FK, LASK Linz, and Viking FK are all participating in the Champions League for the first time. The original text does not provide these teams' qualification routes, squad characteristics, or opening opponents, only noting that their inclusion adds more suspense to the tournament.

The opening round runs from Tuesday through Thursday, with all 36 teams taking part. The original text does not provide specific fixtures, kickoff times, or broadcast information, so only the schedule arrangement is confirmed here. The final will be held at Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium in June next year.