Having failed to reach the semi-final for the first time in five seasons last time out, Real Madrid will be hoping to add to their record 15 titles in their first Champions League campaign under Xabi Alonso.
Madrid finished second in LaLiga during a season of struggle by their stratospheric standards and have a date with the team they beat 1-0 in the 2021/22 final, Liverpool, in the league phase this time in Europe, as well as a meeting with Manchester City, who they ousted 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs in 2024/25.
Los Blancos beat Atletico Madrid on penalties in the last 16 but were beaten in surprisingly straightforward fashion by Arsenal in the next round, losing 5-1 on aggregate.
Check out Real Madrid’s fixtures, results and squad for the 2025/26 Champions League, as well as a look at the schedule for the league phase and beyond.
Real Madrid Champions League fixtures, results 2025/26
Madrid’s opponents in the league phase include reigning Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty, 2024/25 Premier League winners Liverpool and Greek title holders Olympiacos.
They face the teams who finished second and third in France in Marseille and the runners-up in Portugal, Benfica.
Two-time European champions Juventus reached the knockout phase play-offs last season and finished fourth in Serie A.
All fixtures start at 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT unless otherwise stated.
Tuesday, September 16: Madrid vs Marseille
Tuesday, September 30: Kairat vs Madrid (17:45)
Wednesday, October 22: Madrid vs Juventus
Tuesday, November 4: Liverpool vs Madrid
Wednesday, November 26: Olympiacos vs Madrid
Wednesday, December 10: Madrid vs Man City
Tuesday, January 20: Madrid vs Monaco
Wednesday January 28: Benfica vs Madrid
Real Madrid Champions League squad 2025/26
Madrid’s List A Champions League squad has been registered until the round of 16 in February 2026, when clubs can register a maximum of three new players within the existing limit of 25.
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Alvaro Carreras, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Dean Huijsen
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos
Forwards: Vinícius Junior, Endrick, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Gonzalo, Brahim Diaz, Franco Mastantuono
List B submissions, comprised of players born after January 1, 2004 who have been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday, can also be made until midnight before each match.
Goalkeepers Fran Gonzalez and Javier Navarro, defenders Victor Valdepenas, Diego Aguado, Jesus Fortea, David Jimanez and Joan Martinez, midfielders Jorge Cestero, Pol Fortuny, Manuel Angel, Cesar Palacios, Cristian Perea, Hugo De Llanos and Thiago Pitarch and forward Daniel Yanez are initially on List B.
Real Madrid Champions League schedule 2025/26
After the league phase, the play-offs are held in February, with the rest of the knockout stage before the final held between March and early May.
Matchday 1: September 16-18 2025
Matchday 2: September 30 – October 1 2025
Matchday 3: October 21/22 2025
Matchday 4: November 4/5 2025
Matchday 5: November 25/26 2025
Matchday 6: December 9/10 2025
Matchday 7: January 20/21 2026
Matchday 8: January 28 2026
When is the Champions League knockout phase?
Knockout phase play-offs: February 17/18 & 24/25 2026
Round of 16: March 10/11 & 17/18 2026
Quarter-finals: April 7/8 & 14/15 2026
Semi-finals: April 28/29 and May 5/6 2026
Final: May 30 2026 (Budapest)
When are the Champions League draws?
Knockout phase play-offs: January 30 2026
Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final: February 27 2026
Champions League 2025/26 format
In a change from the previous group stage format conducted until 2023/24, each team now plays eight matches in the league phase, all against different opponents.
Four of those matches will be at home and four away, with the opponents determined according to four seeding pots split by rankings.
Teams will play two opponents from each of those pots – one against a team from each pot at home and one away. The results decide the overall standings in one league.
The top eight sides in the table qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to reach the last 16.
Teams finishing 25th or lower are out of Europe for the season.
English teams in the Champions League: Why are there six clubs?
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle all qualified as the top five teams in the Premier League.
There were five places for English teams because extra positions are awarded according to Uefa’s co-efficient rankings, which are based on the overall performances of nations across European competition over a season.
Spurs qualified as Europa League champions, despite losing 22 and winning only 11 of their 2024/25 league games and finishing 17th.
When is the Champions League final?
The final will take place on May 30 2026 at the The Puskas Arena in Budapest, which opened in 2019 and is home to Hungary’s national team.
The arena hosted a dramatic 2022/23 Europa League final, when Sevilla beat Roma on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
How to watch Real Madrid in the Champions League: TV channel
TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video have the live broadcast rights to the Champions League in the UK.
Amazon have first pick of the Tuesday games, with all the other matches shown on TNT Sports. BBC Sport also has highlights rights.
According to BT, TNT Sports costs £20 a month when bought with a broadband package or £30.99 a month without a contract.
Those prices include discovery+ Premium, which offers access to thousands of exclusive shows and originals.
A Prime Video membership is £8.99 per month or £95 per year paid annually, with a half-price offer for fans aged between 18 and 22.
Membership includes unlimited delivery on a huge selection of Amazon items and a range of other perks such as movies, series, documentaries and photo storage.
How to live stream Real Madrid Champions League games online
The broadcasters have dedicated apps allowing fans to live-stream the games: TNT’s discovery+, the Prime Video app and BBC iPlayer.
The apps are available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
