Paris Saint-Germain lead the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League standings after Matchday 1, following a goal-filled opening round that saw 16 of the 36 clubs begin their league-phase campaigns with victories.
PSG sit top on goal difference after their 6-1 demolition of Slovan Bratislava, with Bayern Munich second after an identical five-goal advantage from their 5-0 victory over Bodø/Glimt.
Barcelona and Manchester United complete the early top four after 5-1 and 4-0 victories over Feyenoord and Sabah respectively.
In total, 16 teams collected three points from their opening fixtures, while Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Fenerbahce and PSV Eindhoven are the four clubs in the middle of the table with one point after the two draws recorded on Matchday 1.
The remaining 18 teams suffered defeats and will enter Matchday 2 searching for their first points of the league phase.
The opening round also produced 69 goals in 18 matches, an average of 3.83 per game, making it the joint-highest-scoring Matchday 1 in Champions League history and the second-highest-scoring matchday overall, behind the 71 goals recorded on Matchday 3 last season.
UEFA confirmed the 69-goal haul as a new Matchday 1 record.
The matches were played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, PUNCH Online reported on Friday.
PSG produced the biggest win of the opening round, overwhelming Slovan Bratislava 6-1.
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick as the French champions began their campaign in emphatic fashion, putting them top of the standings with five goals separating them from Bayern.
Bayern also made a statement, defeating Bodø/Glimt 5-0 to move into second place.
The German giants trail PSG only on goals scored, with both clubs boasting a goal difference of plus five.
Barcelona sit third after their 5-1 victory over Feyenoord, while Manchester United are fourth after their 4-0 win over Sabah.
The four clubs are the only teams to have scored at least four goals while keeping a clean sheet in the opening round.
One of the biggest talking points of Matchday 1 came from Como.
The Italian newcomers, competing in the Champions League league phase for the first time, stunned RB Leipzig 4-1 and climbed into fifth place.
Como are now the highest-ranked team outside the traditional European heavyweights, sitting above Sporting CP, Stuttgart and Manchester City.
UEFA described the performance as a “masterclass in pace and precision” as Cesc Fàbregas’ side announced themselves on Europe’s biggest club stage.
Sporting are sixth after beating Galatasaray 3-1, while Stuttgart are seventh following a 3-1 victory over Viking.
Manchester City occupy eighth after their 2-0 away win against Porto.
Aston Villa also made a winning return to the Champions League, defeating Club Brugge 3-2 in Belgium.
The victory leaves Villa ninth, level on three points with Lens and Real Betis, who occupy the other two positions in the top 10.
Lens came from behind to beat Slavia Prague 3-2, scoring the decisive goal in added time, while Real Betis defeated Lille by the same scoreline.
Borussia Dortmund are 12th after edging Villarreal 3-2, with Liverpool 13th following their 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid are 14th after beating Inter Milan 2-1, while Arsenal sit 15th despite their 1-0 victory away to Napoli.
AEK Athens complete the group of 16 winners in 16th place after their 1-0 victory over LASK.
The positions demonstrate how tight the early table is, with every one of those 16 clubs on three points and goal difference separating them.
Only two matches ended level in the opening round.
Roma drew 1-1 away to Fenerbahce, while PSV Eindhoven were held to the same scoreline by Shakhtar Donetsk.
Roma therefore occupy 17th place, followed by Shakhtar in 18th, with Fenerbahce 19th and PSV 20th.
All four clubs have one point, but goal difference keeps them below the 16 teams that won their opening games.
The bottom half of the table contains the 18 clubs that lost their opening matches.
Villarreal are 21st despite scoring twice in their 3-2 defeat to Dortmund, while Club Brugge, Lille and Slavia Prague occupy the next positions.
Atletico Madrid and Inter are 25th and 26th respectively, followed by LASK and Napoli.
Galatasaray are 29th after their 3-1 defeat to Sporting, with Viking, Porto and Leipzig also on zero points.
Feyenoord, Sabah, Slovan Bratislava and Bodø/Glimt occupy the bottom four positions.
Bodø/Glimt are bottom after their 5-0 defeat to Bayern, leaving them with a minus-five goal difference.
The opening table also underlines how little one victory guarantees in the new 36-team league phase.
Arsenal and Real Madrid both won but sit outside the top 10 because of their relatively narrow victories.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Napoli puts them 15th, while Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Inter leaves them 14th.
Liverpool are 13th despite beating Atletico 2-1, while Manchester City are eighth following their 2-0 win in Porto.
The early standings therefore have an unusual look, with Como fifth and AEK Athens 16th among the 16 teams on three points, while several of Europe’s biggest clubs are already outside the leading positions.
The second matchday is scheduled for October 13 and 14, giving the teams at the bottom an immediate opportunity to respond.
Arsenal will host Lille, Manchester United travel to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona face Galatasaray away, Bayern Munich visit Viking and Manchester City host PSG.
Liverpool travel to LASK, while Como visit Feyenoord.
Other Matchday 2 fixtures include Inter Milan against Club Brugge, Leipzig against PSV, Villarreal against Napoli, Roma against Real Madrid, Aston Villa against Fenerbahce, Shakhtar Donetsk against AEK Athens and Borussia Dortmund’s trip to Bodø/Glimt.
With only one game played, the table remains tightly packed, but Matchday 1 has already produced an early divide: 16 clubs have three points, two have one, and 18 are still waiting for their first point of the league phase.
The next round will begin to show whether the early standings are merely a product of opening-day goal difference or the first signs of a genuine hierarchy emerging in the 36-team Champions League.
Full-time results — Matchday 1
AEK Athens 1-0 LASK
Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa
Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal
Porto 0-2 Manchester City
Lille 2-3 Real Betis
Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan
Barcelona 5-1 Feyenoord
Stuttgart 3-1 Viking
Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Slovan Bratislava
Sporting CP 3-1 Galatasaray
Napoli 0-1 Arsenal
Fenerbahce 1-1 Roma
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Como 4-1 RB Leipzig
Bayern Munich 5-0 Bodø/Glimt
Manchester United 4-0 Sabah
Slavia Prague 2-3 Lens
Source: UEFA
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