UEFA Champions League 2025–26: Full Fixtures, Groups & Schedule

Date: December 2025

Introduction

The UEFA Champions League 2025–26 marks the start of a new era. With the Swiss-style league format entering its second official season, fans can expect more matches, more big-club clashes, and more drama from the very first week.

Let’s dive in.

This guide covers every detail you need:
Full UCL groups
Schedule & matchweeks
Knockout round dates
Updated format
Fixtures for top clubs

UCL 2025–26 Format Overview (Swiss System)

From 2024–25 season onward, the Champions League no longer uses traditional 8 groups.

New Format Summary

• 36 teams total
• All teams placed into one league table
• Each club plays 8 league-stage matches
• Opponents selected from four seeding pots
• Top 8 teams qualify directly for Round of 16
• Teams ranked 9–24 enter Playoffs
• Teams 25–36 are eliminated

UEFA Champions League 2025–26: Full Groups (Seeding Pots)

Note: The Swiss system does not use classic groups.
UEFA still publishes Seeding Pots for draw purposes.

Here are the projected 2025–26 Seeding Pots based on coefficients & champions:

1 — Champions + Top-Ranked Clubs

• Manchester City
• Real Madrid
• Bayern Munich
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Liverpool
• Inter Milan
• Benfica
• Barcelona

2 — Strong Contenders

• Atlético Madrid
• Arsenal
• Borussia Dortmund
• Juventus
• RB Leipzig
• Porto
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Napoli

3 — Rising Teams

• AC Milan
• PSV
• Marseille
• Celtic
• Sporting CP
• Galatasaray
• Atalanta
• Shakhtar Donetsk

4 — New Entries + Challengers

• Rangers
• Red Star Belgrade
• Union Berlin
• Feyenoord
• Copenhagen
• Braga
• Monaco
• Salzburg

UEFA Champions League 2025–26 Full Schedule

Here is the official UCL match calendar:

League Stage (Matchweeks)

• Matchday 1: September 16–17, 2025
• Matchday 2: September 30–October 1, 2025
• Matchday 3: October 21–22, 2025
• Matchday 4: November 4–5, 2025
• Matchday 5: November 25–26, 2025
• Matchday 6: December 9–10, 2025
• Matchday 7: January 20–21, 2026
• Matchday 8: January 27–28, 2026

Knockout Playoffs

• Playoff First Leg: February 17–18, 2026
• Playoff Second Leg: February 24–25, 2026

Round of 16

• First Leg: March 10–11, 2026
• Second Leg: March 17–18, 2026

Quarter-Finals

• First Leg: April 7–8, 2026
• Second Leg: April 14–15, 2026

Semi-Finals

• First Leg: April 28–29, 2026
• Second Leg: May 5–6, 2026

Final

• Final Date: May 30, 2026
• Venue: Puskás Aréna, Budapest (Hungary)

UCL 2025–26: Key Fixtures to Watch

Here are the potential blockbuster matchups guaranteed by the Swiss-style format:

These fixtures depend on the seeding draw.

UCL 2025–26: Points System

• Win: 3 points
• Draw: 1 point
• Loss: 0 points

Top 8 teams → Round of 16
Teams 9–24 → Playoff round

How Teams Advance in the Swiss System

• Better-ranked teams get easier playoff paths
• Goal difference matters more
• Strength-of-schedule impacts ranking
• Head-to-head no longer exists in league stage