The UEFA Champions League league phase is back, as 36 teams will play eight matches — four home and four away — in bids to reach the knockout rounds.There are two paths to the Round of 16: Eight teams will qualify directly via the league phase table, while eight more will emerge from playoff ties pitting teams 9-24 in home-and-away legs.MORE — UEFA Champions League 2025-26 hub — Fixtures, dates, scoresAnd there's no set path for greatness, something we learned from the first edition of the tournament's new structure.Runners-up Inter Milan earned a bye as the fourth-seed last league phase, but champions Paris Saint-Germain finished 15th and did not have their playoff status secured until Matchday 7.UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league phase table — StandingsTeams 1-8 qualify for knockout roundsTeams 9-24 qualify for playoff round — two-legged tiesTeams 25-36 eliminated from EuropeEintracht Frankfurt — 1-0-0, +4 GD, 3 pointsParis Saint-Germain — 1-0-0, +4 GD, 3 pointsSporting CP — 1-0-0, +3 GD, 3 pointsClub Brugge — 1-0-0, +3 GD, 3 pointsUnion Saint-Gilloise — 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 pointsBayern Munich — 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 pointsInter Milan — 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 pointsArsenal — 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 pointsManchester City — 1-0-0, +2 GD, 3 pointsQarabag — 1-0-0, +1 GD, 3 pointsLiverpool — 1-0-0, +1 GD, 3 pointsBarcelona — 0-0-1, +1 GD, 3 pointsReal Madrid — 1-0-0, +1 GD, 3 pointsTottenham Hotspur — 1-0-0, +1 GD, 3 pointsBorussia Dortmund — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointJuventus — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointBayer Leverkusen — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointBodo/Glimt 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointSlavia Prague — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointCopenhagen — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointOlympiacos — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointPafos — 0-1-0, 0 GD, 1 pointAtletico Madrid — 0-0-1, -1 GD, 0 pointsBenfica — 0-0-1, -1 GD, 0 pointsMarseille — 0-0-1, -1 GD, 0 pointsNewcastle United — 0-0-1, -1 GD, 0 pointsVillarreal — 0-0-1, -1 GD, 0 pointsChelsea — 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 pointsPSV Eindhoven — 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 pointsAjax — 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 pointsAthletic Bilbao — 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 pointsNapoli — 0-0-1, -2 GD, 0 pointsAS Monaco — 0-0-1, -3 GD, 0 pointsKairat Almaty — 0-0-1, -3 GD, 0 pointsGalatasaray — 0-0-1, -4 GD, 0 pointsAtalanta — 0-0-1, -4 GD, 0 points

Two of the biggest clubs in Europe square off in their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League opener with Bayern Munich hosting Chelsea on Wednesday, Sept. 17.