UEFA Champions League 2026-27: Schedules and Previews
The UEFA Champions League 2026-27 season started with plenty of excitement for European football fans. Last week, the first-round qualifying clashes of the UEFA Champions League concluded. Meanwhile, clubs from domestic leagues settled for draws in the UEFA Champions League. Lincoln Red Imps defeated Inter d’Escaldes 3-1 in the first leg of the first qualifying round.
Additionally, Kauno Žalgiris drew with Drita, while Tre Fiori lost to Larne in the first leg of the first qualifying round. Víkingur Reykjavík defeated ETO Győr 1-0 in the qualifying-round clash. Furthermore, Kairat defeated Sutjeska 2-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. Craiova defeated Maxline 4-1 in the latest outing.
Games Schedule: Venues and Timings
KuPS vs FK Vardar
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 11:00 a.m. ET | 08:00 a.m. PT | 08:30 p.m. IST.
Venue: Kuopio Football Stadium, Kuopio.
Inter d’Escaldes vs. Lincoln Red Imps
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET | 09:00 a.m. PT | 09:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Estadi Comunal d’Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella.
Saburtalo vs Tallinna FC Flora
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET | 09:00 a.m. PT | 09:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi.
Riga vs. Ararat-Armenia
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 01:00 p.m. ET | 10:00 a.m. PT | 10:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Skonto Stadium, Riga.
ETO Győr vs Víkingur Reykjavík
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 01:00 p.m. ET | 10:00 a.m. PT | 10:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Stadion ETO, Győr.
TNSFC vs Sabah
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 01:30 p.m. ET | 10:30 a.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. IST
Venue: Park Hall, Shropshire.
Levski Sofia vs Borac
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 01:30 p.m. ET | 10:30 a.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. IST
Venue: Georgi Asparuhov, Sofia.
Drita vs. Kauno Žalgiris
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 02:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. PT | 11:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Pristina City Stadium, Pristina.
Shamrock Rovers vs Floriana
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 03:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. PT | 12:30 a.m. IST (Next day)
Venue: Tallaght Stadium, Dublin.
Larne vs Tre Fiori
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 03:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. PT | 12:30 a.m. IST (Next day)
Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast.
Craiova vs Maxline
Date: July 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 01:30 p.m. ET | 10:30 a.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. IST
Venue: Ion Oblemenco Stadium, Craiova.
Atert Bissen vs. KÍ
Date: July 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 02:15 p.m. ET | 11:15 a.m. PT | 11:45 p.m. IST
Venue: Luxembourg Stadium, Luxembourg.
Egnatia vs. Petrocub
Date: July 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 03:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. PT | 12:30 a.m. IST (Next day)
Venue: Stadiumi “Arena Egnatia,” Rrogozhinë.
Sutjeska vs Kairat
Date: July 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 03:00 p.m. ET | 12:00 p.m. PT | 12:30 a.m. IST (Next day)
Venue: Gradski Stadion Niksic, Niksic.
Pivotal Matches Previews
KuPS vs FK Vardar
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 11:00 a.m. ET | 08:00 a.m. PT | 08:30 p.m. IST.
Venue: Kuopio Football Stadium, Kuopio.
Predicted Lineups for KuPS
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Johannes Kreidl, Hemmo Riihimäki, and Kasperi Silen
Defenders
Karl Ward, Kasim Nuhu, Arttu Lötjönen, Bob Nii Armah, Clinton Antwi, Brahima Magassa, Rasmus Tikkanen, and Taneli Hämäläinen
Midfielders
Saku Heiskanen, Petteri Pennanen, Valentin Gasc, Niilo Kujasalo, Tommi Jyry, Calvin Kabuye, Aaro Toivonen, Akseli Puukko, Joni Kivijärvi, and Veikko Lahtela
Forwards
Saku Savolainen, Gustav Engvall, Jaime Moreno, Arttu Heinonen, Piotr Parzyszek, Joslyn Luyeye-Lutumba, and Saikou Touray
Predicted Lineups for FK Vardar
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Daniel Dikovski and Davor Taleski
Defenders
Hristijan Jeftovski, Mihail Manevski, Mislav Matić, Filip Najdovski, Darko Velkovski, Nenad Miskovski, Georgije Jankulov, and Filip Cvetkovski
Midfielders
David Babunski, Boban Nikolov, Goran Zakarić, Dimitar Todorovski, Filip Duranski, Miguel Pires, and Bljeron Bajrami
Forwards
Gerson Rodrigues, Azer Omeragikj, Ediz Spahiu, Ilija Mitanoski, Ivo Markovski, Diego Castaneda, Ian Puleio, Dimitar Danev, and Joaquin Torres
Previous Games
KuPS faced FK Vardar in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first-round qualifying. KuPS dominated the match and took the lead through goals from Brahima Magassa and Bob Nii Armah. After half-time, Nemanja Bosančić was shown a red card for FK Vardar. Ultimately, KuPS defeated FK Vardar to take an early advantage in the tie.
By contrast, FK Vardar failed to capitalize on their chances in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League’s first-round qualifying. Furthermore, they will look to improve both their defensive and attacking play in the second leg. FK Vardar will now prepare to face KuPS in the second leg of the first qualifying round.
The Pick: KuPS
Inter d’Escaldes vs Lincoln Red Imps
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET | 09:00 a.m. PT | 09:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Estadi Comunal d’Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella.
Predicted Lineups for Inter d’Escaldes
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Juanda Terrádez, Javi Díaz, and Rodrigo Rosaria Fernandes
Defenders
Anwar Hernández, Jilmar Torres, Alex Sanchez, Jaouad Erraji Berroug, Adrian Da Cunha, Marc Rodriguez, Maurizio Pochettino, and Pol Cabanes
Midfielders
Víctor Alonso, Juan Cámara, David López, Antonio Otegui, Pablo Molina, and Lamine Diaby
Forwards
Faysal Chouaib, Domi Berlanga, Toni Paredes, Alex Prelado, and Borja Arellano
Predicted Lineups for Lincoln Red Imps
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Nauzet Santana, Jaylan Hankins, and Mark Hamm
Defenders
Ethan Jolley, Christian Rutjens, Gabri Cardozo, Bernardo Lopes, Ethan Britto, and Julliani Eersteling
Midfielders
Nicolas Clara Pinto, Mandi, Toni, Graeme Torrilla, and Joe
Forwards
Lee Casciaro, Kike Gómez, Álex Mula, Yussef Flalhi Idrissi, Nano, Facundo Alvarez, Manu Toledano and Ruben Garcia
Previous Games
Inter d’Escaldes is one of the strong contenders in the domestic league competition. In the previous season, after 24 matches, they recorded 17 wins, three draws, and four losses. In their last five fixtures, Inter d’Escaldes recorded three consecutive wins, one draw, and one loss. Nevertheless, they lost to Lincoln Red Imps in the first leg of the first qualifying round. Inter d’Escaldes will look to bounce back in the return leg.
Like Lincoln Red Imps, they needed a victory in the first leg. They are one of the leading clubs in their domestic league and have also improved on the international stage. However, they will provide a tough challenge for Inter d’Escaldes in the upcoming clash.
The Pick: Inter d’Escaldes
Riga vs. Ararat-Armenia
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 01:00 p.m. ET | 10:00 a.m. PT | 10:30 p.m. IST
Venue: Skonto Stadium, Riga.
Predicted Lineups for Riga
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
Frenks Orols
Defenders
Paulo Eduardo, Karl Wassom, Andrés Salazar, and Baba Musah
Midfielders
Raivis Jurkovskis, Ahmed Ankrah, and Orlando Galo
Forwards
Salah-Eddine Oulad, Raki Aouani, and Muhammed Badamosi
Predicted Lineups for Ararat-Armenia
Position
Players
Goalkeepers
João Bravim
Defenders
Edgar Grigoryan, Alexandros Malis, Junior Julio, and Kamo Hovhannisyan
Midfielders
Karen Muradyan, Alwyn Tera, and Hugo Oliveira
Forwards
Zhirayr Shaghoyan, Sandro Lima, and Artur Serobyan
Previous Games
Riga took on Ararat-Armenia in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first-round qualifying. Both teams failed to score before halftime. Furthermore, Ararat-Armenia scored twice in the second half to take control of the match. On the other hand, Riga’s hopes suffered a setback after one of their players received a red card. In the end, Riga suffered defeat to Ararat-Armenia in the first leg.
Conversely, Ararat-Armenia claimed an important first-leg win. They also had a hard time putting together a clear attacking performance during the entire match. Ararat-Armenia will improve its attacking play in the return fixture. Riga will have a home-turf advantage in the upcoming match.
The Pick: Riga
Drita vs. Kauno Žalgiris
Date: July 14, 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 02:00 p.m. ET | 11:00 a.m. PT | 11:30 p.m. IST
Drita has established itself as one of the dominant clubs in the Football Superleague of Kosovo. They recorded 20 wins, six draws, and ten losses in 36 matches last season. In their last five fixtures, Drita recorded two consecutive victories and three losses. In addition, Drita played out a draw performance in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.
This season, Kauno Žalgiris sits in first place with 31 points in the A Lyga competition. In their last five matches, Kauno Žalgiris recorded two consecutive wins, one loss, and two draws. Furthermore, they played out a draw in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.
The Pick: Drita
Final Thoughts
The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League begins with the first qualifying round, where clubs will battle for a place in the next stage. With key fixtures on the schedule, fans are eager to watch the upcoming matches. Meanwhile, several players will aim to make their historic success on the international stage this season.