Champions League Matchday 1: Stuttgart vs Viking facts

Stuttgart return to the UEFA Champions League after a season away to take on a Viking side who have qualified for the first time.

Previous meetings

This is the first meeting between the sides.

Stuttgart's only previous matches against Norwegian opposition were all against Molde in the UEFA Europa League. Stuttgart progressed 5-4 on aggregate in the 2010/11 third qualifying round (3-2 a, 2-2 h) before losing 0-2 away and 0-1 at home in the 2012/13 group stage.

Viking have won only two of their 11 matches against German opposition (D3 L6), losing the last three without scoring. They are winless in their six away fixtures (D1 L5), going down 0-2 at Hamburg in their most recent fixture in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

Form guide

Stuttgart

This is Stuttgart's fifth appearance in the Champions League proper and a second in three seasons. They were 26th in the 2024/25 league phase (W3 D1 L4), their first participation since 2009/10.

The German club were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Porto in the 2025/26 Europa League round of 16. Having finished 11th in the league phase (W5 L3), they overcame Celtic 4-2 in the knockout phase play-offs.

Viking

This is Viking's first Champions League campaign since 1992/93, when they lost 0-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the first round (0-1 a, 0-0 h).

Viking have reached a European group stage/league phase only once, finishing fourth in their five-team section in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

 Links and trivia

Stuttgart have won four of their last five league phase matches in UEFA competition (L1).

The German club were victorious in all four home matches in the league phase of last season's Europa League.

Stuttgart have never won on Champions League Matchday 1 (D1 L3).

Stuttgart's last 16 European games have produced 56 goals, an average of 3.5 per game.

Viking are one of four debutants in this season's league phase, along with Como, Sabah and LASK.

The Norwegian club beat GNK Dinamo in this season's play-off round (2-2 a, 3-1 h) – they had lost all their previous seven two-legged European Cup ties.

Viking are Norway's second successive Champions League debutants, after Bodø/Glimt last season. This is the first time there have been two Norwegian sides in the competition proper.

Viking have lost only one of their last six European matches (W3 D2) and only one of their last seven away (W2 D4).

There have been 43 goals in Viking's last ten games in UEFA competition at an average of 4.3 per game.

Viking have scored in ten of their last 11 European matches.