The 2026-27 Champions League is under way: what to know before the opening matchday

We said goodbye to it on a superb final full of suspense between PSG and Arsenal. Four months on, it is back. For a season that could stay in the memory for a long time.

The 2026-27 Champions League opens as early as 8 and 9 September. Thirty-six clubs, eight league-phase matchdays and a format that has proved its worth, promising top-level European football every week.

Fixtures you can follow on GoldenVegas Sport, the Belgian bookmaker. Starting with the pick of the opening matchday, where Club Brugge and Real Madrid already have plenty on their plate while PSG are handed a gentler introduction.

Club Brugge v Aston Villa: a Jupiler Pro League side up against the Premier League

Club Brugge begin their campaign at home to Aston Villa. A first European outing that pits the Belgian champions against a Premier League club now familiar with the rhythm of the competition.

Brugge return to the league phase after a 2025-26 season that ended in the knockout play-offs, where Atlético de Madrid shut the door on the last 16 (3-3 at the Jan Breydel, 1-4 in Madrid). The season before, they had gone all the way to the round of 16 by knocking out Atalanta.

Facing them is an Aston Villa side that won the Europa League last season — 3-0 against Freiburg in the final, the club's first major trophy since 1996. The Birmingham club are a solid opponent for a Brugge team who will lean on the atmosphere at the Jan Breydel and on their recent European experience.

In this competition last season, Brugge held a decent record at home. Will they repeat their feat of two years ago, when they beat the Villans in the Venice of the North, and do our Jupiler Pro League proud?

PSG v Slovan Bratislava: a fitting warm-up for the Champions League holders

Paris Saint-Germain welcome Slovan Bratislava for their entry into the 2026-27 Champions League. The capital club, chasing a third consecutive European title, need to make the most of this manageable tie before a brutal run: Manchester City at the Etihad on matchday two, then Barcelona at home on matchday three.

The central European club produced a few unexpected results on their first appearance, but they operate in a different category from their opponents in terms of squad and budget.

The gap in quality between the two sides and the context of this match — the first in a long series for PSG — are factors to work into your analysis. Struggling in Ligue 1 with two draws to start, will Luis Enrique's men be caught out again?

Real Madrid v Inter: the standout tie of this opening round

This is the most eagerly awaited match of the opening matchday. The one where live betting is likely to get busy, given how many twists this game should produce.

José Mourinho's Real Madrid host Inter in a duel between two of the most decorated clubs in Europe. Two distinct styles collide: Madrid's vertical attacking play against the organised block and tactical discipline of the nerazzurri.

Mourinho, back at Real Madrid thirteen years after his first spell, approaches this Champions League with the expectations of a club that systematically makes the European title its priority.

Inter, who qualified directly for the league phase, arrive off the back of a very strong Serie A season. The meeting between the Portuguese coach and his former club, with whom he won the Champions League in 2010, adds a further dimension to a tie that is already rich enough in sporting terms.

You can follow every Champions League match live on GoldenVegas Sport. A BetXtra of 25 per cent is available on every game of this opening matchday of the 2026-27 Champions League.