Champions League 2026-27: Five key talking points ahead of the new season

Paris Saint-Germain begin the new Champions League campaign as the team everyone wants to beat. The back-to-back champions are pursuing a third consecutive title, a feat only Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid coach has achieved in the modern era.

The league phase opens with headline fixtures including Real Madrid against Inter Milan and Porto against Manchester City. PSG’s eight-match schedule includes meetings with Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa, giving the reigning champions an immediate test of their bid for a three-peat.

Arsenal, last season’s runners-up, and Bayern Munich are among the clubs confident they can stop PSG. Bayern pushed the French side hard in the semifinal and now have another weapon in Harry Kane, who scored 36 league goals in 31 appearances last season and 61 goals for the club in all competitions. He also scored 12 times for England.

Bayern won the Bundesliga by 16 points last season after scoring a record 122 goals. Under Vincent Kompany, they are chasing a third straight league title, but their European ambition remains unfinished after the semifinal defeat to PSG. The club’s summer has focused more on keeping its squad together than making major additions, including efforts to retain Michael Olise.

Kane’s age and workload remain a question after a demanding World Cup campaign. Bayern may need only adjustments in game management and the luck that often accompanies a title-winning run, the article says, to challenge PSG.

Barcelona are expected to feature among the favourites, while Real Madrid return to the competition under Jose Mourinho, beginning his second spell at the club. Madrid hope their star-studded squad can take them to a final staged in their own city, though the match would be played at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium. Como are also set to make their debut in the competition.