From 2027, there is to be an opening match in the Champions League. As decided by UEFA and its clubs, the defending champions will play the first match of the new top flight season.
13.10.2025, 21:22
13.10.2025, 21:31
SDA
The match, which the defending champions will be allowed to play in front of a home crowd, will be the only one to take place on Tuesday in order to focus on the winners of the previous season.
All other participants will not start the new season until Wednesday and Thursday in order to "guarantee maximum visibility for all clubs", according to the press release.
If the rule had been introduced at the start of the current season, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain would have opened Europe's top club competition against Atalanta Bergamo at the Parc des Princes in Paris. However, the French side, who won 4-0, only played on Wednesday - a day on which, like Tuesday and Thursday, six matches were scheduled.
