The Champions League begins: a huge European night, and Galatasaray take the stage

The 36-team league-phase format introduced two seasons ago in the UEFA Champions League enters its second year, with the opening week of the 2026-27 season played between 8 and 10 September. The most important storyline for Türkiye in a programme of 18 matches across three days is settled: Galatasaray travel to Sporting CP in Lisbon at 22:00 on Wednesday 9 September. In the same week Fenerbahçe open their own Champions League campaign by hosting the Italian side Roma at the Chobani Stadium at 19:45 on Thursday 10 September. With both Turkish sides in action, this will be one of the busiest European weeks of the season.

As of today, 7 September, there is no Champions League match on the pitch yet; the tournament kicks off tomorrow, Tuesday 8 September. The short answer to the question of what time the Champions League matches start: the week's fixtures are played in two slots, with early matches at 19:45 and the main evening matches at 22:00, all Türkiye time.

The showpiece of the week is set for the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday evening, 8 September: José Mourinho, back in charge of Real Madrid for a second time this summer, hosts Inter — the club he left as champions in 2010 — at 22:00. FC Porto vs Manchester City at the Estádio do Dragão and Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park are played the same evening, both at 22:00. On Wednesday 9 September, Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid at Anfield (22:00) and Napoli vs Arsenal at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium (22:00) take centre stage, while Barcelona vs Feyenoord at the Camp Nou is the early match at 19:45.

A short reminder for anyone still getting used to the 36-team league phase: each team plays eight different opponents once across the season, in a programme set by the draw. Teams finishing in the top eight of a single combined table advance directly to the last 16, those between 9th and 24th go into a play-off, and those below 24th are eliminated. So while the first week's results come early, the overall picture after eight matches is what decides it; even so, winning the opening match is valuable for confidence and for banking points early in a demanding schedule.

The most talked-about story of the night will be written at the Bernabéu. Mourinho managed Inter between 2008 and 2010, leaving after winning both Serie A and the Champions League in 2010, and then took charge of Real Madrid (2010-13). Returning to the Real Madrid job for a second time this summer after his spell at Fenerbahçe, the Portuguese faces his old club in his first competitive Champions League test. The intriguing part is that Inter's head coach is part of the same story: Cristian Chivu was one of the defenders in the squad Mourinho led to the title in 2010. Sixteen years on, the old coach and his old player meet on opposite sides at the Bernabéu.

Stressing the importance of the result at his press conference, Mourinho said his priority after the Betis defeat — a match they played well and lost — was three points rather than the quality of the football; he said his dream of winning the Champions League with Real Madrid continues but that he keeps it separate from his 2010-13 story. Criticising the VAR decisions in the Betis match sharply, he said Endrick, just back from injury, could get five to ten minutes at most.

Real Madrid come into this test in mixed heart. Winners of five of their last six under Mourinho, they lost 1-0 away to Real Betis in LaLiga on 4 September; Troy Parrott's goal on 81 minutes was the first defeat since Mourinho's return, and goalkeeper Álvaro Valles saved Kylian Mbappé's penalty in stoppage time. Real Madrid will be without the injured Ferland Mendy, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo, as well as the UEFA-suspended Arda Güler, Eduardo Camavinga and summer signing Bernardo Silva. Against that, Mbappé's form stands out: the France forward has scored four LaLiga goals this season, hit a hat-trick against Real Sociedad, contributed to the 4-0 win over Málaga and is his team's leading scorer.

On the other side is Chivu, in charge since June 2025 in place of Simone Inzaghi. He travels to Madrid with an Inter side unbeaten in 15 matches and winners of four of their last six. Real Madrid's historical edge over Inter is notable too: the Spanish side have won the last four Champions League meetings, scoring eight and conceding two; the most recent, at the Bernabéu in December 2021, finished 2-0.

At Galatasaray the agenda is Osimhen's absence. It was reported that the Nigerian striker and Mario Lemina will not travel to Lisbon and that both are expected to be out for at least three weeks. Head coach Okan Buruk is expected to try Barış Alper Yılmaz at centre-forward, use summer signing Leroy Sané and Yunus Akgün out wide, and trust Abdülkerim Bardakcı at the back; summer signing Rafael Leão, not yet fully fit physically, is again planned for second-half minutes. Galatasaray are unbeaten in their last four matches, while hosts Sporting CP have won their last five and reached the quarter-finals last season before losing to eventual finalists Arsenal — the best Champions League campaign in the club's history, in which they scored 22 goals and won six matches for a club record. For all the details of this tie, see our separate story.

Fenerbahçe's week is not limited to the league either. The yellow-and-navies open their Champions League league-phase campaign by hosting Roma at the Chobani Stadium (Şükrü Saracoğlu) at 19:45 on Thursday 10 September. İsmail Kartal, in charge since June 2026, is expected to leave out Nelson Semedo, İrfan Can Kahveci, Oğuz Aydın and Vedat Muriqi, whose derby performances did not satisfy him, and to use Mert Müldür at right-back and İsmail Yüksek in midfield. Fenerbahçe reaching the league phase this season means one of the club's highest-profile European occasions; with both Turkish sides in the league phase in the same week, it is a strong start for Turkish football in the format's second season.

Barcelona vs Feyenoord is also worth close attention among the week's other matches: Hansi Flick's side are four from four in LaLiga with 15 goals scored and only two conceded, and in Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have one of Europe's most productive attacking pairings; Feyenoord arrive on a 19-match unbeaten run. The sides have met twice before in the Champions League, Barcelona leading with a win and a draw. In Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal, Niko Kovač's side continue a three-match winning run after coming from 2-0 down to win away at Hoffenheim; centre-forward Serhou Guirassy has scored three in his last five. Villarreal sit 16th with two points from four league matches and lost their last game to Deportivo Alavés; they lost this fixture 4-0 to Dortmund last season and were beaten by two German sides in succession (4-0 Dortmund, 3-0 Leverkusen).

In Napoli vs Arsenal, last season's Champions League runners-up Arsenal arrive four from four in the league with an 83 per cent win rate this season; defender William Saliba is injured, and Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera may not be physically ready. Napoli come in on a difficult run after consecutive defeats to Como and Inter and are dealing with a long injury list. In Porto vs Manchester City, new head coach Enzo Maresca's City arrive three from three in the league and are listed sixth among the Champions League title favourites (PSG first, Barcelona and Arsenal joint second, then Bayern Munich); there is talk of Erling Haaland being rotated. Hosts Porto arrive five from five in the league with 11 goals scored and one conceded, and were Portuguese champions last season.

The answer to which match Turkish supporters should prioritise this week is clear: Galatasaray first, then Fenerbahçe. For those with time, Real Madrid vs Inter is worth following for Mourinho's emotional return and Mbappé's form; Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid because new head coach Andoni Iraola takes charge of his first Champions League match after arriving from Bournemouth; and Napoli vs Arsenal as a comparison of the current form of Italian and English football.

There is an important change on the broadcast side: the Türkiye rights to the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League are held by TRT and the tabii platform. Matches involving Turkish clubs are shown free-to-air on TRT 1 and TRT Spor, while every match of the week is available on tabii Spor. So Galatasaray vs Sporting CP and Fenerbahçe vs Roma can be watched free-to-air on TRT, with the other 16 matches of the week available with a tabii Spor subscription.

In short: the new Champions League season opens with both Turkish sides in action, historic rivalries reignited and young stars taking the stage. Beyond Sporting CP vs Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe vs Roma, you can follow the matches, results and developing squads live through FutbolRadar's live score centre and today's matches page; the standings, updated throughout the season, are available in our Champions League guide. As the matches are played, this page and the related match pages will be updated with scores, goals and key developments.