Real Madrid opened their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu on September 8, giving José Mourinho’s side three points in the opening round of the new league phase.
The result was Real Madrid’s first Champions League match of the season and placed them among the teams beginning the competition’s eight-match league-phase schedule. UEFA’s new format means clubs must complete all eight league-phase fixtures before the direct knockout places are decided.
The victory over Inter therefore represents an important opening result, but it does not mean Real Madrid have already qualified for the knockout stage.
Real Madrid start with three points
Real Madrid entered the competition at home against Inter, one of the clubs drawn from the first pot for the league phase.
The Spanish club won the match 2-1, according to UEFA’s official results.
Real Madrid’s own match schedule confirms the result and lists the Inter victory as the club’s opening Champions League fixture of the 2026/27 campaign.
The result gives Real Madrid three points from their opening match as they begin the eight-game league phase.
A new Champions League format
The 2026/27 Champions League is being played under the 36-team league-phase system.
Instead of the previous group-stage arrangement, all 36 clubs are placed in one league table.
Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, with four matches at home and four away.
The league phase began on September 8 and concludes on January 27, 2027.
Real Madrid’s eight opponents are Inter Milan, Roma, Leipzig, AEK Athens, PSV Eindhoven, Arsenal, LASK and Shakhtar Donetsk.
What happens after the league phase?
The final league standings will determine which clubs continue directly into the Round of 16 and which must play an additional knockout tie.
The top eight teams in the league phase qualify directly for the Round of 16.
Teams finishing ninth through 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs.
The remaining teams, those finishing from 25th to 36th, are eliminated from the Champions League. Under the 2026/27 format, they do not drop into the Europa League.
This means Real Madrid’s opening victory is valuable, but qualification cannot be determined from one result.
Real Madrid’s next Champions League match
Real Madrid’s next league-phase fixture is an away match against Roma on October 14.
The club will then host Leipzig on October 21 before travelling to AEK Athens on November 4.
Their fifth league-phase match will be at home against PSV Eindhoven on November 24.
The sixth match is one of the most prominent fixtures on the schedule.
Real Madrid will travel to England to face Arsenal on December 9. Arsenal reached the final of the previous Champions League edition, according to Real Madrid’s published schedule.
Real Madrid will then host LASK on January 19 before completing the league phase away against Shakhtar Donetsk on January 27.
The importance of league position
Under the new format, individual results contribute directly to a single league table containing all 36 teams.
That makes every league-phase match relevant to the eventual qualification positions.
A club finishing in the top eight avoids the additional knockout phase play-offs and advances directly to the Round of 16.
Clubs finishing ninth to 24th still have a route to the Round of 16, but they must first negotiate a two-leg play-off.
For Real Madrid, the early objective is therefore to collect enough points across their eight matches to finish as high as possible in the league standings.
The September victory over Inter provides the first three points toward that objective.
Real Madrid’s European history adds attention
Real Madrid enter another Champions League campaign with considerable European history behind them.
The club is one of the competition’s most successful teams and regularly attracts attention whenever the tournament begins.
That history, however, does not change the qualification process for the current campaign.
The club must still navigate the league phase and finish within the required positions before reaching the knockout rounds.
Other major clubs also began their campaigns
Real Madrid were among several major European clubs to begin the league phase on September 8.
Manchester City won 2-0 away at Porto, while Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-2.
Real Betis defeated Lille 3-2, while Borussia Dortmund beat Villarreal 3-2.
On September 9, Arsenal started their campaign with a 1-0 away victory over Napoli.
Barcelona defeated Feyenoord 5-1, while Liverpool beat Atlético Madrid 2-1.
Those results form part of the same 36-team league table that will ultimately determine the qualification places.
The road to the knockout stage
The Champions League league phase continues through January.
The knockout phase play-offs are scheduled for February 16-17 and February 23-24, 2027.
The Round of 16 follows in March, with matches scheduled for March 9-10 and March 16-17.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for April, followed by the semi-finals in late April and early May.
The 2027 final is scheduled for June 5 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
Real Madrid therefore have several months of league-phase football remaining before the knockout positions are confirmed.
No knockout qualification yet
Despite the strong start against Inter, Real Madrid cannot yet be described as having advanced to the Champions League knockout stage.
The club has only completed one of its eight league-phase matches.
The remaining fixtures against Roma, Leipzig, AEK Athens, PSV, Arsenal, LASK and Shakhtar will contribute to the final league standings.
The final position will determine whether Real Madrid go directly into the Round of 16, enter the play-offs or fail to progress.
A positive opening result
For now, the confirmed development is straightforward.
Real Madrid opened their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Inter Milan.
The result gives Mourinho’s team an early three points and a positive starting point in the league phase.
But the competition’s format means there is still a long road ahead before the knockout-stage places are decided.
With seven league-phase matches still to play, Real Madrid’s next challenge will be to build on the Inter result when they travel to Rome in October.
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