The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League enters its second round this week, with 36 teams in action across Europe as clubs return to the competition. Manchester City’s home meeting with Paris Saint-Germain headlines the round.
It is City’s first Champions League match since an independent commission found the Etihad club guilty of breaking more than 100 Premier League financial rules.
How the league phase and knockouts are built
The league phase, now in its third year, began in September and runs until January 2027. The knockout rounds follow, with the champions due to be crowned in early June. This is the third season in which 36 clubs compete in the main stage, up from 32 under the earlier setup.
Since 2003, the competition had used 32 clubs split into eight groups of four, with the top two in each group advancing to the last 16. That structure has changed sharply in recent years. From 2024-25, all 36 clubs sit in a single table arranged by a Swiss-system pairing method, a process more often linked with chess.
Each club now plays eight matches against eight different opponents, replacing the six home-and-away group games of the past. The top eight go straight through to the knockouts, while clubs placed ninth to 24th contest two-legged playoffs. Those ranked 25th or lower are eliminated. The knockout stage then runs through the round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the final.
Early standings and leading scorers so far
After the first set of league fixtures, Paris Saint-Germain top the table on three points. Bayern Munich, six-time champions, and Barcelona, five-time winners, sit behind them, having also won their opening matches.
PSG’s Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in the first Champions League match of the campaign. He shares the lead in the scoring charts with Ermedin Demirovic of Stuttgart.
Key ties and players to watch this week
Beyond City’s clash with PSG, attention turns to Manchester United, who are under fire. They travel to Madrid to face an in-form Atletico, hoping to register just their third win of the season.
Jose Mourinho, the manager, faces his former club AS Roma as Real head to Rome. Several forwards are also worth watching after scoring twice in their openers:
- Erling Haaland of Manchester City
- Michael Olise of Bayern Munich
- Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain
