Champions League Matchday 1: Fenerbahçe vs Roma facts

Fenerbahçe and Roma are both ending lengthy absences from the UEFA Champions League proper as they kick off the 2026/27 season in Istanbul.

Previous meetings

This is the teams' first meeting.

Fenerbahçe have won their last three home matches against Italian opponents, keeping clean sheets in all three. Most recently they beat Lazio 2-0 in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg, setting up a 3-1 aggregate victory.

The Turkish team have lost only one of their last five games against Serie A sides, winning three. Fener had lost nine of their previous ten matches involving Italian clubs (W1).

Roma have won their last five matches against Turkish opponents, four without conceding. In their last fixtures, they beat Trabzonspor 2-1 away and 3-0 at home in the 2021/22 UEFA Conference League play-off round.

That made it successive victories in Türkiye after Roma had gone winless in their first four trips (D2 L2).

Form guide

Fenerbahçe

Fenerbahçe have reached the Champions League proper for the first time since making their sixth appearance in 2008/09; they have since lost nine times in qualifying.

In that last appearance 18 years ago, the Turkish team were fourth in a section including Porto, Arsenal and Dynamo Kyiv, collecting two points from six games (D2 L4).

Roma 

The Giallorossi are ending a seven-season absence from the Champions League proper; this is their 12th appearance overall. The last, in 2018/19, ended in a 3-4 aggregate defeat by Porto in the round of 16.

Roma spent 2025/26 in the Europa League, finishing eighth in the league phase (W5 D1 L2) before losing an all-Italian tie 4-5 against Bologna in the round of 16.

Links and trivia

This is Fenerbahçe's sixth successive season in a UEFA competition group stage/league phase.

The Istanbul club reached the Europa League knockout phase play-offs in 2025/26, losing 2-4 on aggregate to Nottingham Forest.

Fenerbahçe are unbeaten in this season's Champions League (W4 D2), beating Górnik Zabrze of Poland 2-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round (1-0 h, 1-1 a) and Austria's Sturm Graz 3-0 in the third (2-0 h, 1-0 a) before overcoming Lyon in the play-offs (1-1 h, 2-1 a).

The Turkish team are unbeaten in their last seven European games, winning five and drawing two.

However, in the Champions League proper Fenerbahçe are without a win in their six matches (D2 L4).

Fenerbahçe have lost only two of their last ten home European matches (W5 D3).

Roma have reached the knockout phase in seven of their last eight participations in the Champions League proper.

The Italian side have lost only three of their last 14 European league phase matches (W8 D3).

Roma are unbeaten in five European away matches (W3 D2).