The 2025-26 Champions League kicked off Matchday 1 with a mixture of statement wins, tight matches and surprises.
Big clubs were expected to set the tone; some delivered, some had to scrap. With the second year using the new format, early points are already looking valuable.
The first round has given us goals, records broken, and plenty to chew on as we speed towards Matchday 2.
Matchday 1 fixtures & results
Here are a selection of the Matchday 1 fixtures and results:
Date
Fixture
Result
16 Sep
Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal
0-2 — Arsenal win.
16 Sep
PSV vs Union Saint-Gilloise
1-3 — Shock win for USG.
16 Sep
Juventus vs Borussia Dortmund
4-4 — wild draw.
16 Sep
Real Madrid vs Marseille
2-1 — Real win with some drama.
16 Sep
Benfica vs Qarabağ
2-3 — big upset.
17 Sep
Bayern München vs Chelsea
3-1 — Bayern strong.
17 Sep
Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid
3-2 — tight, entertaining.
17 Sep
Paris Saint-Germain vs Atalanta
4-0 — dominant from PSG.
18 Sep
Club Brugge vs AS Monaco
4-1 — Brugge impressive.
18 Sep
Copenhagen vs Bayer Leverkusen
2-2 — draw, late own goal drama.
18 Sep
Manchester City vs Napoli
2-0 — City beat 10-man Napoli; Haaland hits 50 goals.
18 Sep
Newcastle United vs Barcelona
1-2 — Rashford double clinches it late for Barça.
18 Sep
Sporting CP vs Kairat Almaty
4-1 — solid performance by Sporting.
Those are some of the headline results; others followed similar patterns of tight games and a few surprises.
Best games & standout moments
Some of the matches that stood out most:
Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund — probably the wildest of the lot. Multiple lead changes, high drama, entertaining for neutral fans.
Newcastle vs Barcelona (1-2) — Marcus Rashford’s second-half double made the difference. Coming away from home, late goal pressure.
Manchester City vs Napoli (2-0) — notable both for the early red card (Giovanni Di Lorenzo) which tilt the match, and especially because Haaland became the fastest player to reach 50 Champions League goals.
PSG 4-0 Atalanta — statement of strength from the champions; clean, efficient.
Players who starred
Here are a few of the top individual performances:
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — reaching 50 UCL goals in just 49 games was the headline.
Marcus Rashford (Barcelona) — double away at Newcastle.
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) — two penalties in the comeback win vs Marseille.
Players from underdog/shock wins: Qarabağ’s players contributing in their upset vs Benfica; USG performing well vs PSV.
Shocks & surprises
Yes — there were a few unexpected results:
Qarabağ 3-2 over Benfica — certainly one of the biggest surprises. Benfica being favourites, especially at home, and Qarabağ pulling off a win is notable.
PSV losing at home to Union Saint-Gilloise — another shock. USG are doing well but PSV had home advantage.
Copenhagen drawing with Leverkusen — especially with Leverkusen’s expectations, the late own goal made it a dramatic point salvaged but also a dropped opportunity.
Game of the Week
If I had to pick one match as Game of the Week, it would be Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund.
Because it had everything: goals back and forth, attacking play, tension, comebacks. Also, it’s rare to see a match with that many twists so early in the group/league phase. Great entertainment.
What’s coming: Matchday 2 fixtures
Here are fixtures scheduled for Matchday 2, to be played on 30 September – 1 October 2025.
Date
Fixture
30 Sept
Atalanta vs Club Brugge
30 Sept
Kairat Almaty vs Real Madrid
30 Sept
Atlético Madrid vs Eintracht Frankfurt
30 Sept
Chelsea vs Benfica
30 Sept
Inter Milan vs Slavia Praha
30 Sept
Bodø/Glimt vs Tottenham
30 Sept
Galatasaray vs Liverpool
30 Sept
Marseille vs Ajax
30 Sept
Pafos vs Bayern München
1 Oct
Qarabağ vs Copenhagen
1 Oct
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Newcastle United
1 Oct
Arsenal vs Olympiacos
1 Oct
AS Monaco vs Manchester City
1 Oct
Bayer Leverkusen vs PSV
1 Oct
Borussia Dortmund vs Athletic Club
1 Oct
FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain
1 Oct
Napoli vs Sporting CP
1 Oct
Villarreal vs Juventus
Conclusion
Matchday 1 showed that even at the start, there’s no safe ground in the Champions League.
Big clubs delivered, but it’s the upsets and draws that could prove costly down the line. Players like Haaland, Rashford, Mbappé are already making statements.
Teams who dropped points or allowed surprises will need to respond fast.
Matchday 2 offers some mouth-watering fixtures: Barcelona vs PSG and Monaco vs Man City are very interesting.
It will be interesting to see which teams consolidate momentum, and which ones are rattled by their opening performances.
