PSG chases Real Madrid's historic treble as 2025-2026 Champions League begins

The 2025-2026 Champions League gets underway this week with 36 clubs at the starting line and a monumental task ahead for Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique's side defend the crown they have won in each of the past two seasons and now chase a feat only Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid have achieved in the modern era: three consecutive European Cup triumphs between 2016 and 2018.

• PSG are targeting a third straight title, a run only Zidane's Real Madrid have completed.
• The league phase begins with 36 teams, four debutants and 18 matches over three days.
• Manchester City open a new era after Pep Guardiola's exit and break the transfer market for Enzo Fernandez.
• The final will be played on 5 June at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
• Real Madrid vs Inter, Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid and Napoli vs Arsenal headline the opening round.

The historic challenge for Luis Enrique's PSG

The Parisian club arrive as the team to beat. After years of heavy spending, global stars and high-profile managers that did not deliver the ultimate prize, the arrival of Luis Enrique and the consolidation of a collective project turned the French side into European champions. Their penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal in Budapest capped a season that ended with a second consecutive title and lifted the club to another level.

We have a unique challenge: trying to match Real Madrid's three consecutive titles. I don't think anyone else in history has achieved it apart from them, and that is why we are so motivated.

PSG also arrive with a reinforced squad. The departure of Bradley Barcola to Liverpool and Goncalo Ramos to AC Milan has been offset by signings such as Maghnes Akliouche and Ferran Torres, two of the most eye-catching additions in a season that again puts the spotlight on Paris.

Thirty-six teams and four debutants in the league phase

Spain and England lead the representation with five clubs each. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United fly the Premier League flag, while LaLiga is represented by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Betis and Villarreal. Germany and Italy supply four teams apiece: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart, and Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como respectively.

France enters PSG, Lens and Lille. Portugal, Turkey, the Netherlands and Norway have two representatives each, and the lineup is completed by Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium and Greece with one team each. The main novelty comes from the four debutants: Italy's Como, Austria's LASK Linz, Azerbaijan's Sabah and Norway's Viking.

How the 2025-2026 Champions League works

The league phase runs from this Tuesday until 27 January, with eight matchdays for every participant. The top eight will advance directly to the round of 16, while the teams placed between ninth and 24th will enter a playoff round to complete the bracket. From there, the competition becomes a straight knockout tournament through the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals.

The final will be held on 5 June at the Metropolitano stadium, home of Atletico Madrid, which hosts the decisive game for the second time in its history. It is a stage that adds extra appeal to a campaign shaped by the battle between PSG and the traditional contenders to take the crown away from Paris.

The new Manchester City and a record-breaking transfer window

Manchester City are turning a page without Pep Guardiola, the manager who led them to their first Champions League title. The English club have overhauled the squad: Rodri, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Tijani Reijnders, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Kalvin Phillips have all left. To make up for it, the club broke records by signing Argentina's Enzo Fernandez for 145 million euros, surpassing the 135 million paid weeks earlier for Elliot Anderson.

Ayyoub Bouaddi also arrived for 95 million and Illman Ndiaye for 70 million. The market produced other headline moves: Bradley Barcola joined Andoni Iraola's Liverpool from PSG, and Yan Diomande signed for Real Madrid, both for 125 million. Arsenal paid 87.5 million for Bruno Guimaraes, Barcelona spent 80 million on Anthony Gordon and Manchester United invested 76 million in Carlos Baleba as they return to the tournament.

Real Madrid vs Inter, Liverpool vs Atletico and Napoli vs Arsenal lead the opening round

Real Madrid, the most decorated club in European history, begin a new push to reclaim the throne they lost to PSG. They host Inter in the standout match on Tuesday, a meeting of two former champions in which the Spanish giants dominate the head-to-head record with 19 wins from 21 games. The Italian side have not won any of their last 13 European away games against Spanish opponents. Kylian Mbappe, with 70 goals, will draw level with Raul as the fifth all-time top scorer if he finds the net. Thibaut Courtois plays his 100th match in the competition and Jose Mourinho reunites with a club he guided to the 2010 title.

On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid visit Anfield to face Andoni Iraola's Liverpool. It is a repeat of last season's opening match, which the English club won 3-2, although in 2020 Atletico won at that stadium with Marcos Llorente as the standout figure to knock out the Reds. Arsenal start as favourites in their trip to Napoli after recording three wins and one defeat in their previous meetings. Barcelona, without a Champions League title for eleven years, host Feyenoord with Lamine Yamal two goals away from matching Mbappe's record as the tournament's top scorer aged 20 or under.

Betis, Villarreal, Bayern and Manchester United in the spotlight elsewhere

Villarreal look to bounce back from last season's league-phase elimination and begin with a tough trip to Signal Iduna Park to face Borussia Dortmund, who won 4-0 in last year's meeting. Betis return to Europe's top competition after 21 years and visit Lille, a side that has lost just one of nine matches against Spanish teams.

Bayern Munich, semi-finalists last season, open against Norway's Bodo/Glimt, while Manchester United mark their return to the tournament by hosting Azerbaijani debutants Sabah. Cesc Fabregas's Como also make their first appearance at home against RB Leipzig, and Manchester City start in Portugal against Porto. A total of 18 matches are spread across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to open a campaign that promises plenty of drama.