UEFA Youth League: Drama as league phase begins
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
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There have been late turnarounds and plenty of goals on the opening two days of league phase action.
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The UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League path league phase is in progress with Matchday 1 to conclude on Thursday when the seven remaining matches take place.
Real Madrid started their title defence on Tuesday by winning 3-0 against Inter with a pair of goals from one of their stars last season, Daniel Yáñez. Last season's runners-up Club Brugge defeated Aston Villa 5-3 aided by a hat-trick from one of their own 2025/26 finalists, Tian Koren as Porto and Villarreal also picked up wins.
In Wednesday's action, Paris Saint-Germain's Adam Ayari and Stuttgart's Enis Redzepi both scored three in their side's opening victories. Arsenal got a last-gasp winner at Napoli and Sporting CP struck twice in added time to draw 2-2 with Galatasaray, Diego Coxi equalising with the last kick of the game from inside his own half, while Atleti also recovered from two down to hold Liverpool.
In the UEFA Champions League path, the fixture list mirrors the first six matchdays of the league phase in the senior competition. The top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32.
The clubs ranked 1 to 6 will be drawn at home to the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will visit the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path. The round of 32 draw is on Friday 11 December.
League phase results so far
Matchday 1
Wednesday 9 September
Stuttgart 5-0 Viking
Napoli 1-2 Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Slovan Bratislava
Sporting CP 2-2 Galatasaray
Liverpool 2-2 Atlético de Madrid
Tuesday 8 September
AEK Athens 0-0 LASK
Porto 3-1 Manchester City
Club Brugge 5-3 Aston Villa
Lille 0-0 Real Betis
Real Madrid 3-0 Inter
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Villarreal
League phase fixtures to come
Matchday 1
All times CET
Thursday 10 September
Barcelona vs Feyenoord (09:30)
Fenerbahçe vs Roma (13:00)
PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk (14:00)
Slavia Praha vs Lens (14:00)
Manchester United vs Sabah (15:00)
Como vs Leipzig (15:00)
Bayern München vs Bodø/Glimt (16:00)
Matchday 2
Tuesday 13 October
Lens vs Sporting CP (13:00)
Sabah vs Slavia Praha (13:00)
Viking vs Bayern München (13:00)
Galatasaray vs Barcelona (13:00)
Arsenal vs Lille (14:00)
Leipzig vs PSV Eindhoven (14:00)
Inter vs Club Brugge (15:00)
Villarreal vs Napoli (16:00)
Atlético de Madrid vs Manchester United (16:00)
Wednesday 14 October
Bodø/Glimt vs Borussia Dortmund (11:00)
Feyenoord vs Como (13:00)
LASK vs Liverpool (13:00)
Real Betis vs Porto (13:00)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs AEK Athens (13:00)
Slovan Bratislava vs Stuttgart (14:00)
Roma vs Real Madrid (14:00)
Aston Villa vs Fenerbahçe (15:00)
Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain (16:00)
Matchday 3
Tuesday 20 October
Porto vs PSV Eindhoven (13:00)
Fenerbahçe vs Slavia Praha (13:00)
Sabah vs Borussia Dortmund (13:00)
Roma vs Slovan Bratislava (14:00)
Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona (14:00)
Napoli vs Bodø/Glimt (14:00)
Stuttgart vs Atlético de Madrid (15:00)
Liverpool vs Villarreal (16:00)
Manchester City vs AEK Athens (16:00)
Wednesday 21 October
Como vs Manchester United (13:00)
LOSC Lille vs Galatasaray (14:00)
Aston Villa vs Viking (15:00)
Club Brugge vs Lens (15:00)
Sporting CP vs LASK (15:00)
Bayern München vs Arsenal (16:00)
Inter vs Shakhtar Donetsk (16:00)
Real Madrid vs Leipzig (16:00)
Real Betis vs Feyenoord (16:00)
Matchday 4
Tuesday 3 November
Bodø/Glimt vs Lille (11:00)
Galatasaray vs Stuttgart (11:00)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Sporting CP (13:00)
Villarreal vs Paris Saint-Germain (13:00)
Feyenoord vs Inter (14:00)
Manchester United vs Roma (14:00)
LASK vs Slovan Bratislava (15:00)
Atlético de Madrid vs Bayern München (16:00)
Barcelona vs Aston Villa (16:00)
Wednesday 4 November
AEK Athens vs Real Madrid (11:00)
Porto vs Napoli (12:00)
Fenerbahçe vs Liverpool (12:00)
Viking vs Sabah (13:00)
PSV Eindhoven vs Club Brugge (14:00)
Lens vs Como (14:00)
Slavia Praha vs Arsenal (14:00)
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Betis (16:00)
Leipzig vs Manchester City (16:00)
Matchday 5
Tuesday 24 November
Bodø/Glimt vs LASK (11:00)
Galatasaray vs Aston Villa (11:00)
Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (13:00)
Slovan Bratislava vs Real Betis (14:00)
Feyenoord vs Porto (14:00)
Como vs AEK Athens (15:00)
Manchester City vs Napoli (15:00)
Leipzig vs Lens (16:00)
Real Madrid vs PSV Eindhoven (16:00)
Wednesday 25 November
Sabah vs Barcelona (12:00)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Fenerbahçe (13:00)
Slavia Praha vs Villarreal (13:00)
Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Roma (14:30)
Club Brugge vs Liverpool (15:00)
Inter vs Stuttgart (15:00)
Lille vs Bayern München (15:00)
Sporting CP vs Manchester United (15:00)
Atlético de Madrid vs Viking (16:00)
Matchday 6
Tuesday 8 December
Viking vs Feyenoord (12:00)
Villarreal vs Sabah (12:00)
AEK Athens vs Galatasaray (14:00)
Roma vs Sporting CP (14:00)
Manchester United vs Leipzig (14:00)
Napoli vs Club Brugge (14:00)
Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain (15:00)
Barcelona vs Manchester City (16:00)
Bayern München vs Slavia Praha (16:00)
Wednesday 9 December
Real Betis vs Como (13:00)
Slovan Bratislava vs Shakhtar Donetsk (13:00)
Arsenal vs Real Madrid (14:00)
PSV Eindhoven vs Atlético de Madrid (14:00)
Lens vs Bodø/Glimt (14:00)
Stuttgart vs Lille (15:00)
LASK vs Fenerbahçe (15:00)
Borussia Dortmund vs Inter (16:00)
Liverpool vs Porto (16;00)
League phase: What happens if teams are level on points?
If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the league phase matches then, as per paragraph 16.01 of the competition regulations, the following criteria are applied, in this order, to determine their rankings:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
f. Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents
g. Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents
h. Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents
i. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all league phase matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points)
j. Drawing of lots
Between Matchday 1 and Matchday 5, teams that are level on points are separated using the following criteria:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
If teams are still equal in all aspects with the application of these criteria, they are given equal ranking in the table, ordered alphabetically based on their abbreviated name.
Team guide
• Along with holders Real Madrid, who secured their second title last season, also involved in the league phase are sole three-time winners Barcelona and further past champions Porto. Last season's runners-up Club Brugge also return, as do fellow former finalists Paris Saint-Germain, who reached the semis last season, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Atleti, Barcelona, Bayern, Manchester City, Paris and Real Madrid (like Benfica in the domestic champions path) maintain their perfect record of having entered all 13 editions of this competition. On Matchday 3, Atleti and Barcelona will emulate Real Madrid in reaching 100 matches in this competition, as will Benfica when they begin their domestic champions path campaign.
• Making their competition debuts are Como, Fenerbahçe, LASK and Viking.
Format
The UEFA Youth League introduced a new format in 2024/25, adapting to the format change of the senior UEFA club competitions.
As before, the contenders are split into two paths, the UEFA Champions League path and the domestic champions path, both of which are played through the rest of the year, before they come together for the knockout phase in 2027.
The UEFA Champions League path includes the 36 youth teams of the clubs that have qualified for the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League. The league stage will mirror the Champions League league phase but is limited to the first six matchdays, with the same matches played in both competitions (three at home and three away).
The top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.
A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards. The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final).
Knockout draw and match dates
Round of 32 draw: 11 December, Nyon
Round of 32: 2/3 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 5 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 23/24 February
Quarter-finals: 16/17 March
Semi-finals: 16 April
Final: 19 April
