Champions League Fantasy Football: Top performers on Matchday 1

In an exciting opening round of league phase fixtures in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, 11 players came away with a Fantasy score of 13 points or more. UEFA.com highlights the best performers on Matchday 1 of #UCLfantasy, presented by PlayStation.

GOALKEEPERS

Unusually, the two goalkeepers who registered the highest Fantasy score did not keep clean sheets, both Jindřich Staněk (€4.5m) of Slava Praha and Atalanta's Marco Carnesecchi (€4.5m) saving penalties to finish on eight points. While Atalanta were beaten 4-0 at Paris Saint-Germain, Carnesecchi further increased his Fantasy total thanks to nine saves.

It was a high-scoring game for goalkeepers in the French capital as Paris' Lucas Chevalier (€4.5m) gained six points. He was one of seven goalkeepers to record clean sheets, including former Paris No1 Gianluigi Donnarumma (€6.0m), who shut out Napoli on his European debut for Manchester City.

High-performing Fantasy players in 2024/25, both David Raya (€5.5m) and Yann Sommer (€6.0m) began the 2025/26 league phase with clean sheets as both Arsenal and Inter won 2-0 away. Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario (€5.0m) matched their six-point score and was one of three Premier League goalkeepers not to concede.

DEFENDERS

There were plenty of high individual Fantasy scores among defenders, Paris pair Nuno Mendes (€6.0m) and Marquinhos (€5.0m) both reaching double figures after scoring against Atalanta. Virgil van Dijk (€6.0m) headed an added-time winner for Liverpool against Atlético de Madrid, meaning that two of the three highest-owned defenders were on the scoresheet in the opening round.

The top Matchday 1 score by a defender came from a budget differential, Youssoupha Mbodji (€4.0m) scoring twice for Slavia Praha against Bodø/Glimt before being substituted with the score at 2-0, locking in a clean sheet before the Norwegian champions staged a late comeback. This led to Mbodji accumulating 17 points, the joint-highest total across all positions.

The ultra-attacking Geovany Quenda (€5.0m) registered two goal involvements and ten Fantasy points for Sporting CP, while a trademark Alejandro Grimaldo (€6.0m) free-kick helped earn the premium full-back nine points. Another high-priced defender matched that score, Arsenal centre-back Gabriel (€5.5m) registering a clean sheet and 11 ball recoveries.

MIDFIELDERS

The only player to equal Mbodji's 17-point Fantasy score was Sporting CP's Francisco Trincão (€6.0m), who opened the scoring against Kairat from outside the box and added another goal to earn the Player of the Match award. Trincão was one of 13 midfielders to finish with a double-figure Fantasy total, his closest competition Atlético de Madrid's Marcos Llorente (€6.5m), whose two goals helped him gain 14 points.

Of those 13 midfielders, only two currently have an ownership of 10% or more. One of those is Mohamed Salah (€10.5m), who provided a goal and assist against Atléti. His attacking output was matched by Kenan Yıldız (€6.5m), but with three ball recoveries and a goal from outside the box, the latter jumped up to 12 points in a thrilling 4-4 draw between Juventus and Dortmund.

Both Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (€8.0m) of Paris and Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi (€7.0m) should draw significant Fantasy attention moving forward after their respective 12-point hauls, with the former named Player of the Match. Two assists and five ball recoveries for Hakan Çalhanoğlu (€7.0m) led to the Inter midfielder picking up ten Fantasy points.

FORWARDS

Owners of premium forwards were rewarded. Kylian Mbappé (€10.5m), the most popular Fantasy selection converted two penalties, earned the Player of the Match award and 13 Fantasy points in Real Madrid's comeback win over Marseille.

Another highly-owned striker delivered for well over a quarter of Fantasy bosses, Harry Kane (€10.5m) scoring two in Bayern München's 3-1 win against Chelsea. The England captain won a penalty he converted himself and was also named Player of the Match, boosting his Fantasy score to 15 points.

That was the joint-highest among forwards, matched by Jonathan Burkardt (€5.0m) and Dušan Vlahović (€7.5m), the latter coming off the bench to score two and assist one of Juventus' four second-half goals. Burkardt also recorded three goal involvements for Frankfurt, whilst Marcus Rashford (€7.0m) gained 14 Fantasy points after his two goals led Barcelona to victory at Newcastle.