Who should be my Champions League Fantasy Football captain for Matchday 1?

With Matchday 1 taking place over three days, UEFA.com picks out some top captaincy options. Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal could all be excellent captains for the opening round of league phase matches in the UEFA Champions League as managers prepare their squads for #UCLfantasy, presented by Playstation.

TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

Kylian Mbappé (€10.5m) vs Marseille (H)

The highest-owned forward, Mbappé will be a popular captaincy choice on Matchday 1, when Real Madrid are at home to Marseille. The Frenchman scored ten goals against OM in all competitions during his time at Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, struck 44 times for the Merengues last season and has three in three games for his club in the current campaign.

Vangelis Pavlidis (€7.0m) vs Qarabağ (H)

With Benfica beginning with a home fixture against Qarabağ, Pavlidis is a tempting alternative for the Fantasy armband on Tuesday. The Greek international has scored for both club and country this season and was a solid Fantasy performer in 2024/25 with seven goals, two assists and two Player of the Match awards.

WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

Nuno Mendes (€6.0m) vs Atalanta (H)

Paris kick off their trophy defence against Atalanta and Fantasy managers clearly have confidence the holders can get off to a strong start as full-back Mendes is in almost a third of teams. The defender kept seven clean sheets alongside four goals and two assists in Europe last season.

Harry Kane (€10.5m) vs Chelsea (H)

Kane was once again one of the leading Fantasy forwards last season, scoring 11 goals in Bayern München's run to the quarter-finals. On Matchday 1 the German champions entertain Chelsea, against whom Kane has scored eight times; the forward has already hit six goals in four club appearances in 2025/26.

THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

Pedro Gonçalves (€6.0m) vs Kairat Almaty (H)

Featuring in just 1% of Fantasy squads, Gonçalves represents a differential option having started 2025/26 with a hat-trick against Nacional in the Portuguese Liga and supplying two assists for Sporting CP. The Portuguese champions open against Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty.

Lamine Yamal (€10.0m) vs Newcastle (A)

At the other end of the ownership scale is Barcelona's Yamal, who is selected by over half of Fantasy managers despite a €2.5m price increase this season. The Spanish teenager recorded eight attacking returns in the 2024/25 Champions League in addition to two Player of the Match awards and has two goals and six assists for club and country so far this season.