The UEFA Champions League’s new-look 2025-26 season roared to life this week and Europe wasted no time reminding fans why it remains football’s grandest stage.
In its second year under the expanded “Swiss model,” the competition delivered 18 matches across three days, producing more than 60 goals, seismic upsets, dazzling debuts and enough drama to set the tone for what promises to be an unpredictable campaign.
Barcelona announced their revival in Newcastle with a masterclass, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain flexed their power with ruthless wins and underdogs Qarabağ and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise crashed the party with historic triumphs.
For all the star power on display, it was the week’s unpredictability that stood out most.
The new league phase format, which features 36 clubs each playing eight games in a single-table system, has redefined the rhythm of the competition.
The top eight sides will advance directly to the round of 16, while places nine through 24 fight their way through playoffs.
Early evidence suggests the tweaks have heightened both spectacle and stakes.
Matchday 1 averaged 3.6 goals per game, a reflection of Europe’s aggressive tactical direction, while VAR once again fueled debate with its heavy hand in decisive moments.
Tuesday’s curtain-raisers brought the first taste of chaos.
Arsenal, calm and composed in Bilbao, overcame Athletic Club with second-half strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, their compact back line marshaled by William Saliba, smothering the hosts’ all-debutant starting XI.
But elsewhere, the evening belonged to outsiders.
Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium’s newcomers to the big stage, stunned PSV in Eindhoven with an inspired 3-1 win, their relentless pressing and fearless finishing etching their first-ever Champions League victory.
Then came Qarabağ’s crowning moment in Lisbon, where the Azerbaijani champions overturned a 2-0 deficit to shock Benfica 3-2, sealing their nation’s first win at this level in breathtaking fashion.
The drama reached its fever pitch in Turin. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund traded eight second-half goals in a 4-4 epic that seemed destined to be remembered for years.
Dortmund surged ahead 4-2 through doubles from Jamie Gittens and Serhou Guirassy, only to be pegged back in stoppage time as Dusan Vlahovic, Weston McKennie and Kenan Yıldız conjured a miraculous comeback for the home side.
And in Madrid, record winners Real were unconvincing, scraping a 2-1 win over Marseille thanks to two Kylian Mbappe penalties that pushed him past the 50-goal mark for the club.
Xabi Alonso admitted his team were “poor in possession and creativity,” though the Bernabeu celebrated survival over style.
Tottenham, meanwhile, eked out a narrow 1-0 victory against Villarreal, aided by an early own goal but left with plenty to ponder about their finishing.
If Tuesday belonged to the underdogs, Wednesday was a reminder of Europe’s giants’ ruthlessness.
Inter Milan marched into Amsterdam and dispatched Ajax 2-0, Marcus Thuram towering for both goals from set pieces.
Bayern Munich issued a chilling statement by tearing apart Chelsea 3-1 in Munich, Harry Kane tormenting his former London rivals with two strikes and the kind of dominance that suggested the Bavarians are reloaded and ready for another deep run.
At Anfield, Liverpool once again dipped into their bag of late drama, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson scoring before Virgil van Dijk’s towering stoppage-time header delivered a thrilling 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in front of a roaring Kop.
Paris Saint-Germain were no less emphatic, overwhelming Atalanta 4-0 in Paris as Marquinhos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Goncalo Ramos capped a performance that was equal parts artistry and efficiency.
Slavia Praha’s 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt and Cypriot debutants Pafos’ cagey 0-0 with Olympiacos were overshadowed, but both results showed the competition’s widening inclusivity.
By Thursday, the spotlight shifted to St. James’ Park, where Barcelona produced arguably the week’s most commanding performance despite a late scare from a surging Newcastle.
New signing Marcus Rashford silenced the Magpies with two goals of breathtaking quality: a sublime header in the box and a rocket from outside the box.
The Englishman’s display underlined Barca’s revival under Hansi Flick, who called it “a perfect away performance.”
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon gave the home crowd hope with a late strike, but the Catalans’ passing triangles and suffocating press ensured the points traveled back to Spain.
Elsewhere, Sporting CP rolled past Kairat Almaty 4-1 in Lisbon, while Club Brugge dismantled Monaco by the same scoreline.
Yet the night’s most brutal spectacle came in Frankfurt, where Eintracht demolished Galatasaray 5-1 in a performance that combined set-piece dominance, clinical counters and ruthless efficiency.
Galatasaray’s backline crumbled, gifting two careless own-goals that only deepened the chaos of an already disastrous night.
The result was called “catastrophic” by coach Okan Buruk and prompted unrest among the traveling fans, while Dino Toppmöller hailed Frankfurt’s “ruthless efficiency” that catapulted them into the early leaders’ circle.
The round closed with Manchester City’s measured 3-1 win over Napoli, Erling Haaland netting his 50th Champions League goal to underline his place among the competition’s greats.
The takeaways from Matchday 1 were as vivid as they were varied.
Rashford’s spectacular Barcelona debut signaled a dangerous new dimension to Flick’s side, Kane’s ruthless return to torment Chelsea showed Bayern are armed for glory and Haaland’s milestone goal reaffirmed City’s inevitability under Pep Guardiola.
PSG looked balanced and hungry, Liverpool resilient, and Inter clinical, while Real Madrid raised concerns despite Mbappe’s continued heroics.
Underdogs Qarabağ and Union SG, meanwhile, reminded Europe that belief and bravery still have a place in the modern game.
With seven matchdays still to come before the knockout rounds, the marathon has only just begun. Early stumbles from Benfica and Galatasaray may not yet be fatal, but they exposed vulnerabilities that could linger.
