PSG begin Champions League title defence as challengers gather
Paris Saint-Germain are seeking a third consecutive Champions League title, with Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid among the clubs aiming to stop them.
The 2026–27 Champions League league phase begins on Tuesday, with Paris Saint-Germain pursuing a third consecutive title after defeating Arsenal in last season’s final. Their league-phase schedule includes meetings with Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
According to Al Jazeera Global News, PSG’s bid would place coach Luis Enrique in contention to become only the second manager to win three successive Champions League titles with the same club. Only Real Madrid, Ajax and Bayern Munich have previously achieved the feat as clubs.
Arsenal return as last season’s runners-up, while Bayern Munich will seek to go further after losing a closely contested semi-final to PSG. Bayern’s prospects will partly rest on Harry Kane, who scored 36 Bundesliga goals in 31 appearances last season, although it remains uncertain whether he can reproduce that scoring rate.
Barcelona are also expected to challenge, while Real Madrid begin a rebuilding effort under Jose Mourinho. Madrid won their first three La Liga matches but then lost 1–0 to Real Betis, underlining the work still required to turn an expensively assembled squad into a coherent contender.
Como provide the competition’s most striking rise. After finishing fourth in Serie A, they will make their Champions League debut having climbed from Italy’s fourth tier through three promotions in five years under the ownership of the Hartono family. The club has also signed Nico Paz permanently after his loan spell from Real Madrid.
Villarreal and Real Betis add further Spanish representation. Villarreal qualified directly after finishing third last season, while Betis reached the league phase through Spain’s expanded fifth qualifying place.
