![“If I knock him out, he’ll have plenty of time to recover! [for World Cup]” - Cucurella hilariously warns Lamine Yamal about Chelsea vs Barcelona](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/10/93ec0-17601981962106-1920.jpg?w=668)
About UEFA CL 2025-26
The 2025–2026 season is the 71st season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's top club football competition run by UEFA. It's the 34th season since the European Cup was changed to the UEFA Champions League. The reigning champions are Paris Saint-Germain, who won their first championship the season before.
The final will take place at Budapest, Hungary's Puskás Aréna on May 30, 2026. Puskás Aréna will host a Champions League final for the first time. As of September 2025, Real Madrid is the most successful club with 15 UEFA Champions League trophies. They also won the first edition in 1955-56 (the tournament was known as the European Cup) and the previous edition in 2023-24. Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goal scorer in the tournament with 140 goals to his name.
UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Schedule
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 17 June 2025 | 8–9 July 2025 | 15–16 July 2025 |
| Second qualifying round | 18 June 2025 | 22–23 July 2025 | 29–30 July 2025 | |
| Third qualifying round | 21 July 2025 | 5–6 August 2025 | 12 August 2025 | |
| Play-offs | Play-off round | 4 August 2025 | 19–20 August 2025 | 26–27 August 2025 |
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2025 | 16–18 September 2025 | |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September – 1 October 2025 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 21–22 October 2025 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 4–5 November 2025 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 25–26 November 2025 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 9–10 December 2025 | |||
| Matchday 7 | 20–21 January 2026 | |||
| Matchday 8 | 28 January 2026 | |||
| Knockout phase | Knockout phase play-offs | 30 January 2026 | 17–18 February 2026 | 24–25 February 2026 |
| Round of 16 | 27 February 2026 | 10–11 March 2026 | 17–18 March 2026 | |
| Quarter-finals | 7–8 April 2026 | 14–15 April 2026 | ||
| Semi-finals | 28–29 April 2026 | 5–6 May 2026 | ||
| Final | 30 May 2026 at Puskás Aréna, Budapest | |||
UEFA Champions League League Phase Standings
The 36 teams that qualified for the competition are mentioned below.
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
| 2 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | Bayern Munich | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 5 | Inter Milan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 |
| 6 | Qarabag FK | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 8 | Real Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Juventus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Bodo/Glimt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Slavia Prague | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Olympiakos FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Pafos | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Bayer Leverkusen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Club Brugge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FC Copenhagen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Galatasaray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Kairat Almaty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Monaco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Napoli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Sporting Lisbon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Atletico Madrid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 29 | Benfica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 30 | Marseille | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 31 | Villarreal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 32 | Chelsea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 33 | PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 34 | Ajax | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 35 | Athletic Bilbao | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 36 | Atalanta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
Table as of 17th September 2025.
UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Format
The UEFA Champions League format for the 2025/26 season is the same as the 2024-25 season. Last season, a new format was introduced featuring 36 teams in a single league phase, replacing the traditional group stage. Each team played eight matches against different opponents (four home and four away). The top eight teams directly advanced to the Round of 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24th entered a two-legged knockout playoff to determine the remaining eight spots in the Round of 16. Teams ranked 25th to 36th were eliminated from the tournament. The traditional knockout format resumed from the Round of 16 onwards, culminating in the final.
UEFA Champions League TV Channels and Live Streaming Details
The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League games are broadcast on Sony Sports Network in India. The matches can be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app in India.
Men's UCL Broadcasters (2024–2027)
Europe
| Country | Broadcasters |
| Albania | Tring |
| Armenia | Fast Media |
| Austria | Sky Austria, Canal+, ServusTV |
| Azerbaijan | CBC Sport |
| Belarus | Okko |
| Belgium | DPG Media, RTL Belgium, Proximus, Telenet |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Arena Sport |
| Bulgaria | bTV, A1 |
| Croatia | HRT, Arena Sport |
| Cyprus | CYTA |
| Czechia | TV Nova |
| Denmark | Viaplay |
| Estonia | TV3 |
| Finland | Telia |
| France | Canal+ |
| Georgia | Setanta, Silknet |
| Germany | DAZN, Amazon Prime, ZDF* |
| Gibraltar | Gibtelecom |
| Greece | Cosmote TV, AlterEgo |
| Hungary | RTL, Sport 1 |
| Iceland | Syn, Viaplay |
| Israel | The Sports Channel |
| Italy | Sky, Amazon Prime |
| Kazakhstan | Qaz Sport |
| Kosovo | RTK, Artmotion |
| Latvia | TV3 |
| Liechtenstein | blue, Sky Austria, DAZN |
| Lithuania | TV3 |
| Luxembourg | DPG Media, RTL, DAZN |
| Malta | PBS, Melita |
| Moldova | Setanta, Jurnal TV |
| Montenegro | Arena Sport |
| Netherlands | Ziggo Sport |
| North Macedonia | Arena Sport |
| Norway | TV2 Norway |
| Poland | Canal+ |
| Portugal | Sport TV, DAZN |
| Republic of Ireland | RTE, Saran Media, Virgin Media, Premier Sports |
| Romania | DIGI, Clever Media |
| Russia | Okko |
| Serbia | Arena Sport |
| Slovakia | TV Nova |
| Slovenia | Pro Plus, Sportklub |
| Spain | Telefonica |
| Sweden | Viaplay |
| Switzerland | blue, SRG |
| Türkiye | TRT |
| Ukraine | Megogo |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, Amazon Prime, BBC |
Africa and the Middle East
| Region/Country | Broadcasters |
| Middle East/North Africa | beIN |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport, New World TV, Canal+ |
Americas
| Country/Region | Broadcasters |
| Brazil | TNT Sports, SBT |
| Canada | DAZN |
| Caribbean | CPSL (Flow Sports & SportsMax), S&T |
| Central America | ESPN |
| Dominican Republic | Televideo |
| Haiti | Canal+ |
| Mexico | Max, Caliente TV |
| South America (excl. Brazil) | ESPN |
| Suriname | ATV |
| United States of America | Paramount+, TUDN |
Asia and the Pacific
| Country/Region | Broadcasters |
| Australia | Stan Sport |
| Brunei | beIN |
| Cambodia | beIN |
| PR China | iQIYI |
| Hong Kong SAR | beIN |
| Indian Sub-Continent | Sony |
| Indonesia | beIN |
| Japan | WOWOW, Fuji TV**, NTV** |
| Kyrgyzstan | Quest Media |
| Laos | beIN |
| Macau SAR | TDM |
| Malaysia | beIN |
| Mongolia | Premier Sports Network |
| Myanmar | Canal+ |
| New Zealand | DAZN |
| Pacific Islands | Digicel |
| Philippines | beIN |
| Republic of Korea | SPO TV |
| Singapore | beIN |
| Taiwan/Chinese Taipei | Elta |
| Tajikistan | Quest Media |
| Thailand | beIN |
| Turkmenistan | Quest Media |
| Uzbekistan | Quest Media |
| Vietnam | VTVCab, Viettel |
In-flight and in-ship broadcasts
Sport24
UEFA Champions League Sponsors
UEFA Champions League Official Global Sponsors
| Sponsor Name |
| Heineken |
| PlayStation |
| Lay's |
| FedEx |
| Mastercard |
| Crypto.com |
| bet365 |
| Just Eat Takeaway.com |
| Qatar Airways |
UEFA Champions League Official Supplier Partner
| Partner Name |
| Decathlon |
UEFA Champions League Official Enhanced Partners
| Partner Name |
| EA Sports FC |
| Topps |
| OPPO |
| JoyBuy |
UEFA Champions League Anthem
The UEFA Champions League Anthem, simply called "Champions League”, is the official song of the UEFA Champions League. It was written in 1992 by English composer Tony Britten and is inspired by George Frideric Handel's Zadok the Priest.
The entire anthem, which consists of a chorus and two brief verses, takes almost three minutes to finish. A total of three official languages: English, French, and German are used in the lyrics of the anthem. The famous chorus includes the words: “Die Meister. Die Besten. Les grandes équipes. The champions.”, which means: "The masters. The best. The great teams. The champions."
UEFA Champions League Prize Money
The prize money distribution for the 2025–2026 Champions League, which marks the start of its expanded league phase with 36 clubs, has been formally announced by UEFA.
Each club that makes it to the league stage will get a set payout of €18.62 million. Additionally, each win will award them €2.1 million, and a draw will earn them €700,000. Clubs that advance to the round of 16 will receive €11 million, while those that participate in the playoff match before the round of 16 will receive €1 million. The rewards increase dramatically during the knockout stages.
A quarterfinal appearance will earn an additional €12.5 million, and semifinalists will earn €15 million. The winner will receive an additional €6.5 million in prize money, while the finalists at the May 30, 2026, Puskás Aréna in Budapest will receive €18.5 million.
For the league phase, UEFA also instituted a ranking bonus system, which started at €275,000 per slot. That sum will be paid to the lowest-ranked team, while the top-ranked team may receive an additional €9.9 million. In addition, clubs that participated in the qualification stages would receive €30 million. €4.29 million will still be given as compensation to those who were eliminated before they could advance to the league stage. For the 2025–2026 UCL season, UEFA will distribute €2.467 billion.
FAQs on UEFA Champions League 2025-26
A. Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan played in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final.
A. The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final will be held at Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany on May 31, 2025.
A. Paris Saint-Germain won the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League trophy.
