Overview
- The Champions League league phase begins this week with high-profile opening fixtures such as Real Madrid v Inter and Porto v Manchester City and bookmakers listing PSG, Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern among the early favourites.
- Paris Saint‑Germain enter as two‑time defending champions and coach Luis Enrique has publicly declared the club’s objective is to win a third consecutive title.
- The revamped format gives each club eight matches (four home, four away) and advances the top eight on Jan. 27 directly to a seeded round of 16 while teams placed 9–24 go to two‑leg playoffs and 25–36 are eliminated.
- English clubs dominated summer transfer spending, paying nine of the top‑10 fees this window, a flow of cash that raises expectations for Premier League sides but does not ensure success in Europe.
- Smaller and debutant clubs including Como, Viking, Sabah, LASK and Slovan Bratislava qualify for the league phase and will each receive guaranteed minimum prize payments worth around €20m, a financial boost that can reshape their budgets and local profiles.