The Champions League is back. 104 days after the historic triumph of PSG over Inter Milan, 36 teams are once again ready to battle it out and shine in the queen of competitions.
Coming from all corners of Europe, they all now dream of lifting the legendary big-eared cup. But only one will succeed.
Will that be a French one? Perhaps. In any case, three Ligue 1 representatives will have the opportunity to prove their worth.
PSG aims to achieve back-to-back victories
For PSG fans, 2025 will forever be remembered as the year the Parisian club finally won the Champions League. And the Saturday, May 31, as a date engraved in everyone’s memory.
But while the past should not be forgotten (and will not be), the time has already come to look to the future. Yet the Rouge et Bleu’s coronation should not be seen as the end of the journey, but rather as the prologue to a new and even more glorious adventure.
For Luis Enrique, winning back-to-back titles is not just a prospect. It is a “goal.” “We’re very ambitious. We know how difficult this goal is, but it’s normal to have this mentality; it depends on us, on our level. And I think it’s a very fun goal,” said the Parisian coach on the eve of the first matchday of Ligue 1.
To achieve this, PSG will first have to navigate a challenging league phase, decided by a draw that has once again not been kind to them. A difficult task, but far from insurmountable for the reigning European champions and recent Club World Cup finalists, who will nevertheless have to start without Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, both recently injured while playing for France.
Complete PSG match schedule in the Champions League
- PSG – Atalanta (September 17, 2025 — Parc des Princes)
- Barcelona – PSG (October 1, 2025 — Camp Nou)
- Leverkusen – PSG (October 21, 2025 — BayArena)
- PSG – Bayern Munich (November 4, 2025 — Parc des Princes)
- PSG – Tottenham Hotspur (November 26, 2025 — Parc des Princes)
- Athletic Club – PSG (December 10, 2025 — Estadio de San Mames)
- Sporting CP – PSG (January 20, 2026 — Estadio Jose Alvalade)
- PSG – Newcastle (January 28, 2026 — Parc des Princes)
Marseille are ready to shine again
For a long time, OM prided themselves on being the only French club to have won the Champions League. That is no longer the case. Nor are they PSG’s sporting rival. No more so than the 16 other clubs that make up Ligue 1.
But Olympique de Marseille do remain a club apart, one where passions can run as high as violent storms. That is also part of their charm, along with the reputation of their fans. A public that is now just waiting to return to the most prestigious of competitions, which they will discover in its new format.
In Marseille, expectations are high. Can the team live up to them? In any case, they appear to have what it takes to do so. Under Roberto De Zerbi, who is starting his second season at the helm of OM, a rejuvenated squad reinforced by no fewer than 12 new players is preparing to embark on a new chapter in their European history. It’s now their time to write some glorious lines.
Complete Marseille match schedule in the Champions League
- Real Madrid – OM (September 16, 2025 — Estadio Santiago Bernabeu)
- OM – Ajax (September 30, 2025 — Orange Velodrome)
- Sporting CP – OM (October 22, 2025 — Estadio Jose Alvalade)
- OM – Atalanta (November 5, 2025 — Orange Velodrome)
- OM – Newcastle (November 25, 2025 — Orange Velodrome)
- Union Saint-Gilloise – OM (December 9, 2025 — Joseph Marien Stadium)
- OM – Liverpool (January 21, 2026 — Orange Velodrome)
- Club Brugge – OM (January 28, 2026 — Jan Breydel Stadium)
What aspirations do AS Monaco have?
AS Monaco are one of those clubs where you never really know what to expect. Often competitive in Ligue 1, the Principality club struggles more on the European stage. And given the turn of events during the last summer transfer window, this could well continue this season.
For the moment, it is difficult to say whether Monaco have really strengthened their squad this summer. However, what is certain is that they have lost some important players. Starting with Eliesse Ben Seghir, who has left for Bayer Leverkusen, and Wilfried Singo, who has moved to Istanbul to join Galatasaray. Soungoutou Magassa (West Ham), Simon Bouabré (NEOM SC) and Breel Embolo (Rennes) have also bid farewell to Adi Hutter’s squad.
When it comes to new arrivals, questions inevitably arise. While Paul Pogba and Ansu Fati look promising, they are still nothing more than gambles at this stage. This is not necessarily the case for Eric Dier, who has arrived on a free transfer from Bayern Munich and will bring his experience to a team that can sometimes lack it. The same goes for Lukas Hradecky, who will nevertheless have to wait several weeks before returning to the pitch after recently injuring a knee ligament.
All these factors raise concerns, as ASM will face dangerous opponents throughout this league phase.
Complete Monaco match schedule in the Champions League
- Club Brugge – Monaco (September 18, 2025 — Jan Breydel Stadium)
- Monaco – Manchester City (October 1, 2025 — Louis II)
- Monaco – Tottenham (October 22, 2025 — Louis II)
- Bodo/Glimt – Monaco (November 4, 2025 — Aspmyra Stadion)
- Pafos FC – Monaco (November 26, 2025 — Stelios Kyriakides Stadium)
- Monaco – Galatasaray (December 9, 2025 — Louis II)
- Real Madrid – Monaco (January 20, 2026 — Estadio Santiago Bernabeu)
- Monaco – Juventus (January 28, 2026 — Louis II)
