Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Champions League continues on Wednesday, September 9, with six more matches across Europe. Paris Saint-Germain begin their defense of the title they have won in each of the past two seasons, while Liverpool’s meeting with Atlético Madrid stands out as the day’s main fixture.
Barcelona’s home clash with Feyenoord and Napoli’s meeting with Arsenal are the other major fixtures, while Stuttgart-Viking and Sporting CP-Galatasaray complete Wednesday’s program.
PSG begin another title defense
Paris Saint-Germain open their Champions League campaign at home to Slovan Bratislava, with Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi and his teammates beginning their attempt to become the first club since Real Madrid to win the competition three years in a row. PSG have won the last two editions, beating Inter in the 2025 final before defeating Arsenal on penalties in last season’s final.
The French champions, however, have made a difficult start to the domestic season. They are still without a win after three Ligue 1 matches and recently lost 2-1 at home to Monaco. They will therefore look to begin their European title defense with a positive result.
Slovan Bratislava are making their first appearance in the Champions League league phase under the new format. The Slovak side have never beaten a French club in European competition, with their only previous meetings against PSG coming in the 2011/12 Europa League, when Paris won 1-0 at home after a 0-0 draw in Bratislava.
Liverpool and Atlético Madrid headline Wednesday
Liverpool welcome Atlético Madrid to Anfield in the standout fixture of the day.
Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League, where they were eliminated by eventual champions PSG, who won the tie 4-0 on aggregate. Atlético Madrid, on the other hand, reached the semi-finals, losing 2-1 on aggregate to eventual runner-up Arsenal.
Both teams have had mixed domestic starts this season. Liverpool have taken five points from their opening three Premier League matches, including a 2-0 win over Ipswich in their latest game, while Atlético Madrid suffered a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Club in their latest LaLiga match.
The two sides also met in the Champions League league phase last season, with Liverpool winning 3-2 at Anfield.
Barcelona begin against Feyenoord
Barcelona begin their European campaign at home to Feyenoord after reaching the quarter-finals last season.
The Catalan side finished fifth in the league phase in 2025/26 before eliminating Newcastle United in the round of 16. Their campaign ended in the quarter-finals against Atlético Madrid, who won 3-2 on aggregate.
Barcelona have made a strong start to the new LaLiga season, winning their opening four matches, including a 5-0 victory away to Valencia. Feyenoord have also started the Eredivisie season unbeaten, with three wins and two draws from their first five matches.
The two clubs have met only once before in European competition, with Barcelona winning 3-0 at Camp Nou in the 1974/75 European Cup.
Napoli face last season’s finalists Arsenal
Napoli host Arsenal in another major Wednesday fixture.
Napoli’s Champions League campaign ended in the league phase last season, when they finished 25th and missed out on the knockout phase. Arsenal, meanwhile, went all the way to the final before losing to PSG on penalties.
The two sides have made contrasting starts domestically. Napoli have taken three points from their opening three Serie A matches and lost their latest game 3-2 to Inter after leading 2-0. Arsenal, by contrast, have won their first three Premier League matches.
Stuttgart return as Viking make Champions League debut
Stuttgart return to the Champions League after a one-season absence, having secured fourth place in the 2025/26 Bundesliga. They made a strong start to the new campaign with a 4-1 win over Cologne in their latest league match.
Their opponents Viking are appearing in the Champions League for the first time after qualifying through the preliminary rounds. The Norwegian side are also unbeaten in their last five domestic matches.
Sporting and Galatasaray meet for the first time
Sporting CP and Galatasaray meet for the first time in European competition as both clubs begin their Champions League campaigns.
Sporting reached the quarter-finals last season before Arsenal eliminated them 1-0 on aggregate. Galatasaray also reached the knockout phase, where they beat Juventus before Liverpool ended their run in the round of 16.
Wednesday’s Champions League schedule (Moroccan time)
17:45 matches
- Barcelona vs Feyenoord (Camp Nou, Barcelona)
- Stuttgart vs Viking (MHP Arena, Stuttgart)
20:00 matches
- Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid (Anfield, Liverpool)
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Slovan Bratislava (Parc des Princes, Paris)
- Sporting CP vs Galatasaray (Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon)
- Napoli vs Arsenal (Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples)
