UEFA Champions League 2026/27 kicks off: new Fantasy tournament and Mourinho's return to the Bernabéu

The event

The opening round of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 season, Matchday 1, brings Europe's top clubs together this week. Alongside the football itself, a new Fantasy football offering has launched, while much of the attention is also on Jose Mourinho's return to the Real Madrid dugout for a match against his former club, Inter Milan.

Fixtures and Fantasy picks

In round one, PSG host Slovan Bratislava, Bayern Munich face Bodø/Glimt at home, Arsenal travel to Napoli, Barcelona host Feyenoord, Manchester United play Sabah, and Aston Villa visit Club Brugge. According to Never Manage Alone, several of these fixtures are seen as favourable for the bigger clubs, making players such as Bayern's Michael Olise — who had five goals and eight assists in the competition last season — and Barcelona's Raphinha, who has already scored five goals in his first three La Liga games this season, among the most popular Fantasy picks for Matchday 1.

A new Fantasy tournament

According to Comuniate, the platform Tribuna.com has launched a dedicated Champions League Fantasy tournament, joining its existing La Liga, Serie A, Premier League, Bundesliga and UPL competitions. Managers get a $100 million budget for a 15-player squad and access to the standard boosts — Wildcard, Free Hit, Bench Boost and Triple Captain. Unlike Tribuna.com's domestic league tournaments, which allow only one free transfer per round, the Champions League format offers three free transfers between matchdays with no point penalty, a change made to account for the longer gaps between rounds. After each round, an all-star 'Team of the Round' will also be selected by outside football experts and commentators rather than the platform itself.

Mourinho's return

According to the BBC, Real Madrid host Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday at 20:00 BST. It was against Inter that Mourinho won his second Champions League title in 2010, beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final, before being appointed Real Madrid manager just days later. During that first spell, he never won the Champions League with Real, reaching three consecutive semi-finals without going further. Mourinho insists the past has no bearing on this match, while forward Kylian Mbappé said the manager's experience will help the team regain stability after a difficult previous season and a recent defeat to Real Betis.