Champions League Fixtures 2026/27: Dates, Format and UK TV
Quick Answer
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase runs from 8 September 2026 to 27 January 2027, with eight matchdays split across 36 clubs. The knockout playoff round follows in February 2027, before the Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals lead to the final at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on Saturday 5 June 2027. In the UK, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video share live coverage.
The Champions League returns for a third season under UEFA’s expanded league phase format, and the 2026/27 fixture list already has firm dates for every stage, from qualifying through to the final. This guide covers the full schedule, how the format works and where UK fans can watch it legally.
The league phase draw takes place on Thursday 27 August 2026 at 6pm CET, which is 5pm UK time. It sets the eight opponents for each of the 36 clubs, drawn from four seeding pots based on UEFA coefficient rankings.
League phase matchday dates
Once the group draw is done, the action runs through autumn and into the new year. Here are the confirmed matchday dates for the 2026/27 league phase:
- Matchday 1: 8-10 September 2026
- Matchday 2: 13-14 October 2026
- Matchday 3: 20-21 October 2026
- Matchday 4: 3-4 November 2026
- Matchday 5: 24-25 November 2026
- Matchday 6: 8-9 December 2026
- Matchday 7: 19-20 January 2027
- Matchday 8: 27 January 2027
Matchday 8 is the odd one out. Every club plays at the same time on that final night, which stops any team gaining an advantage from kicking off later once other results are known.
Most rounds fall on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so UK fans can expect two nights of European football most weeks during the league phase, in a similar pattern to previous seasons.
How the format works after the league phase
Each club plays eight matches in the league phase, four at home and four away, against opponents drawn from all four pots. Points from all eight games go into a single table of 36 teams, rather than the old group format.
The top eight sides in that table go straight into the Round of 16. Teams that finish 9th to 24th go into a two-legged knockout playoff round for the remaining eight Round of 16 places. Anything below 24th is out of Europe entirely for the season.
From there, the schedule looks like this:
- Knockout playoff round: 16-17 & 23-24 February 2027
- Round of 16: 9-10 & 16-17 March 2027
- Quarter-finals: 6-7 & 13-14 April 2027
- Semi-finals: 27-28 April & 4-5 May 2027
- Final: Saturday 5 June 2027, Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid
Teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase also get a small reward beyond the bye: they host the second leg in the Round of 16, which usually favours the away goals psychology, if not the actual rule, since away goals were scrapped in 2021.
Which UK teams are involved
England has six clubs in the 2026/27 league phase, the most of any nation, alongside five Spanish sides and four each from Germany, Italy and France. A handful of clubs are back in the competition after time away, including Manchester United and last season’s Europa League winners, Aston Villa, so this is a stronger-than-usual field for English supporters to follow across the group stage and beyond.
How to watch Champions League fixtures in the UK
TNT Sports holds the majority of UK broadcast rights for 2026/27, the final season of its current UEFA deal before Paramount+ takes over the Champions League from 2027/28. Amazon Prime Video keeps its first-pick match on Tuesday nights throughout the season, as it has done since 2024/25.
That means most weeks split roughly between the two services: one selected match streams on Prime Video, and TNT Sports covers the rest, including the final. Fans without either subscription will need to add one to follow games live, since there’s no confirmed free-to-air option for this season’s fixtures. [VERIFY: whether any 2026/27 Champions League matches, including the final, will be shown free-to-air in the UK]
For fans who want a simple hub for kick-off times and results across the season, our live football matches page tracks fixtures as they’re confirmed.
FAQ
When does the Champions League 2026/27 league phase start? Matchday 1 runs from 8 to 10 September 2026, following the league phase draw on 27 August 2026.
How many teams are in the Champions League league phase? Thirty-six clubs make up the league phase, each playing eight matches against different opponents.
Who shows Champions League matches in the UK this season? TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video share the rights for 2026/27, with Amazon holding first pick of the Tuesday night fixture each week.
When is the 2027 Champions League final? The final is on Saturday 5 June 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
Do all 36 clubs make the knockout stage? No. The top eight go straight into the Round of 16, and the teams that finish 9th to 24th play a two-legged playoff for the remaining spots.
