Why are there Champions League games on a Thursday?
Usually played on Tuesday and Wednesday, the expanded UCL has games scheduled for Thursday on the opening week of action.
The Champions League returns this week with the opening matches of the 2025/26 tournament taking place on Tuesday, September 16. Real Madrid and Arsenal were among the first winners, while Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out a thrilling 4-4 draw.
The competition, expanded last year, sees 36 teams taking part in the first round, which is now known as the league phase. The ‘Swiss model’ format means teams will play against eight different opponents - four at home and four away - to be ranked in a 36-club table.
The first round of fixtures threw up some mouth-watering ties. Following on from Tuesday’s action, Bayern Munich host Chelsea and Liverpool face Atlético Madrid on Wednesday. And, for only the second time, we’ve also got Thursday games in European soccer’s elite club competition, with Manchester City and Barcelona involved.
2025/26 Champions League Matchday 1 schedule and results
Tuesday, September 16
Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven 1-3 Union Saint-Gilloise
Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille
Benfica 2-3 Qarabağ
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Villarreal
Wednesday, September 17
12:45 Olympiacos vs Pafos
12:45 Slavia Praha vs Bodø/Glimt
15:00 Ajax vs Inter Milan
15:00 Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
15:00 Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid
15:00 Paris Saint-Germain vs Atalanta
Thursday, September 18
12:45 Club Brugge vs Monaco
12:45 Copenhagen vs Bayer Leverkusen
15:00 Eintracht Frankfurt vs Galatasaray
15:00 Manchester City vs Napoli
15:00 Newcastle United vs Barcelona
15:00 Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Kairat Almaty
All kickoff times are ET.
Why are UCL games scheduled for Thursday?
The opening week of the 2025/26 Champions League will be played across three days: Tuesday, September 16; Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18.
Until the competition was revamped last season, Tuesday and Wednesday had been the designed days for UCL action. Thursdays had been for the Europa League and, more recently, the Conference League.
That general structure will remain going forward but this is designated an ‘exclusive week’ for the Champions League. Across the course of the season each of UEFA’s three club competitions will be given priority for one week, with no matches scheduled in either of the other two competitions.
When is the Europa League exclusive week?
From Tuesday to Thursday this week, the Champions League will be the only show in town for fans of European soccer.
The Europa League will headline the following week, with games taking place on both Wednesday, September 24 and Thursday, September 25, rather than the usual Thursday-only schedule.
Even the Conference League has an exclusive week, but that is restricted to just one day. The Matchday 6 games will be held on Thursday, December 18 with no other UEFA competitions scheduled for that week.
European soccer’s governing body will hope that the absence of competition will again help give greater focus to the Conference League, which features the likes of Fiorentina, Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano this year.
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