Why Champions League Matches Are Played on Thursdays During Opening Week
The sight of Champions League matches lighting up Thursday evenings might seem odd to fans used to the traditional schedule. For years, Thursday nights were reserved for Europa League and Conference League fixtures, often the target of jokes online. But starting with the 2024-25 season, and continuing this year, Europe's top clubs have claimed that Thursday slot — but only during the competition's first matchweek.
This scheduling choice comes from the new league-phase format and its demands. Thursday games made their debut in September 2024 and have returned as part of the opening matchday lineup again. The system behind it is designed to fit a bigger tournament into a tight calendar.
The Expansion Behind the Scheduling Shift
The key change was expanding the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams. Now, instead of groups, all clubs compete in a single league phase playing eight matches each, four at home and four away, against different opponents. Their results feed into one combined table.
After these eight games, the top eight advance directly to the round of 16. Those finishing 9th to 24th face play-offs to qualify further, while the rest exit the competition. This structure means many more fixtures happen simultaneously on matchday one than before.
Because of this, UEFA needed to spread the first round of matches across three nights, not just two like the old group stages. This meant introducing Thursday nights to the Champions League’s opening week.
Understanding UEFA’s Exclusive Matchweeks
UEFA’s club competitions operate with exclusive matchweeks, where only one competition plays without overlaps from the others. For the Champions League, this exclusive week is always the first matchday. After that, the Champions League settles into Tuesday and Wednesday slots, leaving Thursdays to the Europa and Conference Leagues.
During the opening week, no Europa or Conference League games happen, so the Champions League can use Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. This helps space out fixtures better and avoids broadcast clashes.
Once matchday one ends, Thursday returns to its usual competitions. The Europa League then gets its own exclusive matchweek the next week, playing Wednesday and Thursday, before switching to all Thursday games for the rest of its league phase. The Conference League sticks to Thursdays throughout, with its final round even getting a special Thursday showcase.
Opening Fixtures for the 2026-27 Season
The 2026-27 Champions League kicks off on Tuesday, September 8, with an exclusive three-night block running through Thursday, September 10. Big games highlight this stretch:
- Real Madrid vs Inter Milan on Tuesday
- Barcelona vs Feyenoord on Wednesday
- Manchester United vs Sabah on Thursday
Other opening night matches include:
- Fenerbahce vs Roma - 5:45 pm
- PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk - 5:45 pm
- Como vs RB Leipzig - 8 pm
- Bayern Munich vs Bodo/Glimt - 8 pm
- Slavia Praha vs Lens - 8 pm
From matchday two on October 13 and 14, the schedule reverts to the usual Tuesday-Wednesday setup, with Thursdays going back to the Europa League until the cycle repeats next season.
