The Champions League returns after a five-week break with Matchday 2 on October 13 and 14. Here are the dates that matter between now and the final in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
European club football’s biggest competition resumes next week. Matchday 2 of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase will be played on October 13 and 14, according to UEFA.
It ends a break of about five weeks. Matchday 1 took place from September 8 to 10.
A Crowded Autumn
The fixtures now come quickly. Matchday 3 follows only a week later, on October 20 and 21, meaning clubs will play two rounds of European matches within nine days.
The league phase involves 36 teams, each playing eight matches.
League Phase Dates
- Matchday 1: September 8–10, 2026
- Matchday 2: October 13–14, 2026
- Matchday 3: October 20–21, 2026
- Matchday 4: November 3–4, 2026
- Matchday 5: November 24–25, 2026
- Matchday 6: December 8–9, 2026
- Matchday 7: January 19–20, 2027
- Matchday 8: January 27, 2027
The final round of league phase matches is played on a single day, January 27.
The Knockout Rounds
- Knockout phase play-offs: February 16–17 and 23–24, 2027
- Round of 16: March 9–10 and 16–17, 2027
- Quarter-finals: April 6–7 and 13–14, 2027
- Semi-finals: April 27–28 and May 4–5, 2027
The Final
The season ends on Saturday, June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
The winners will lift a trophy that, according to UEFA, stands 73.5 centimetres tall and weighs 7.5 kilograms.
The Team to Beat
Paris Saint-Germain go into the season as the holders, having won the competition in each of the past two seasons.
The Champions League calendar also overlaps this month with football’s biggest individual award. The Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place in London on October 26, five days after Matchday 3.
Image: The Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, September 2025. Photo by Elwin594 via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.