UEFA Champions League 2025-26

The 2025-26 Champions League was the second run under the league phase, the format that replaced the group stage in 2024. Thirty-six clubs played eight matches each against eight different opponents, ranked in one table, with the top eight going straight to the round of 16 and the clubs finishing ninth to twenty-fourth playing off for the remaining places.

The change was designed to produce more matches between strong clubs earlier, and it did. It also produced a table that nobody could read at a glance, which is the trade the competition accepted.

How the league phase worked

Each club played eight matches, four at home and four away, drawn from four seeding pots so that everyone faced two opponents from each. There was no group, only the single table of 36.

Finishing in the top eight meant a direct place in the round of 16. Ninth to twenty-fourth entered a two-legged play-off round; twenty-fifth and below went out with no European football to fall back on, which is the part of the format clubs disliked most.

The knockout rounds

Every round from the play-offs to the semi-finals was played over two legs, home and away, with the final a single match at a neutral venue. That is why the results below show sixteen matches in the round of 16 rather than eight: each pair of lines is one tie.

How the 2025-26 season was decided

Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal on penalties in the final after 120 minutes finished level at 1-1. It was the second final under the expanded format and the first to go to a shootout since the competition restructured.

Arsenal had topped the league phase with 24 points from eight matches, the best record of the 36 clubs, which bought them a direct place in the round of 16 and avoided the two-legged play-off that took up an extra fortnight for everyone finishing ninth to twenty-fourth. Reaching the final and losing it on penalties is the outcome that format was designed to make possible: a club can dominate the league phase and still lose the trophy to one match.

What the league phase changed

The old competition put 32 clubs into eight groups of four, which produced a large number of dead fixtures by the fifth matchday. The league phase replaced that with 36 clubs in one table, each playing eight different opponents drawn from four seeding pots, four at home and four away.

The intended effect was more matches between strong clubs earlier, and it delivered that. The cost is a table nobody can read at a glance and a qualification picture that only resolves on the final matchday, when all 18 matches kick off simultaneously to stop clubs playing for a known result.

The other change clubs disliked: finishing twenty-fifth or lower means elimination from European competition entirely. Under the old format a third- placed group finisher dropped into the Europa League. That safety net is gone.

Champions League: common questions

Who won the Champions League in 2025-26?

Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Arsenal on penalties in the final after the match finished 1-1 across 120 minutes. PSG won the shootout 4-3.

How does the Champions League league phase work?

Thirty-six clubs play eight matches each against eight different opponents, drawn two from each of four seeding pots, four at home and four away. There are no groups: a single table of 36 decides everything.

How many teams qualify for the knockout stage?

Sixteen. The top eight in the league phase go straight to the round of 16, and the clubs finishing ninth to twenty-fourth play a two-legged play-off for the other eight places. Twenty-fifth and below are eliminated from European competition entirely.

Are Champions League knockout ties played over two legs?

Every round from the play-offs to the semi-finals is two legs, home and away. The final is a single match at a neutral venue.

How many Champions League matches are played in a season?

189 in the 2025-26 edition: 144 in the league phase, then the play-offs and four knockout rounds.

When does the next Champions League start?

The 2026-27 league phase is drawn in late August and the matches begin in September. This section covers the completed 2025-26 competition; the new season appears here once the draw is made.

The leagues on this site are in season now. See competitions for live tables and fixtures.