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English teams dominate opening round of 2026-27 Champions League

The Guardian Sport • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 11, 2026, 1:29 PM

Last updated Sep 11, 2026

English teams dominate opening round of 2026-27 Champions League

Summary

The 2026-27 Champions League league phase is currently underway with the first round of matches completed. Data analysis from the opening week indicates strong performances by English clubs. Conversely, Italian teams faced significant challenges throughout the initial fixtures. Despite the broad trend of struggles for clubs from Italy, Inter demonstrated competitive form during their defeat against Real Madrid. There are 126 matches remaining before the field is narrowed to the 24 teams that will advance to the knockout phase. The early statistics highlight a lack of major surprises in the tournament results so far.

Source Links

The Guardian Sport

By the Numbers

•The 2026-27 Champions League tournament is in progress.
•English clubs recorded strong performances during the opening round.
•Italian teams generally struggled during the first week of competition.
•Inter fell to Real Madrid despite a competitive showing.
•A total of 126 matches remain before the knockout phase is determined.

Latest Updates

1:29 PMThe Guardian Sport — Champions League opening data shows English dominance and too few shocks

What they're saying

"
The numbers from the first round of the league phase point to Italian teams struggling even if Inter impressed in defeat at Real Madrid The 2026-27 Champions League is under way. There are still 126 matches to play until we know which 24 teams will feature in the knockout phase but that doesn’t mean we haven’t learned anything yet. Here are the key data talking-points from week one. Continue reading...
— The Guardian Sportby Andrew Beasley

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Real Madrid Atletico Madrid Champions League Soccer