The opening matchday of the Champions League is now two-thirds complete, and several of the competition’s main contenders have already positioned themselves near the top of the standings.
Real Madrid made a positive start to their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu. José Mourinho’s side are among the teams to have collected three points from their opening fixture and currently sit 10th in the league-phase standings.
Although the Spanish giants were made to work hard against Inter, securing all three points was the most important objective. With the new Champions League format making every result crucial, Real Madrid have immediately put themselves in a good position to fight for direct qualification to the round of 16.
Paris Saint-Germain currently lead the standings after producing the most impressive result of the opening matchday. The French champions demolished Slovan Bratislava 6-1, giving them a goal difference of +5 and putting them at the top of the table.
FC Barcelona are second following another convincing performance, while Sporting CP, Stuttgart and Manchester City complete the current top five.
The situation is very different for Atlético Madrid. The Colchoneros endured a difficult start to their European campaign after losing 2-1 against Liverpool at Anfield. That defeat leaves Atlético without a point and currently in 16th position.
Inter Milan are just behind them in 17th place following their defeat against Real Madrid.
However, the standings are far from definitive. The first Champions League matchday is not yet over, with six more matches scheduled to be played on Thursday evening.
Among the fixtures still to come are Fenerbahçe against AS Roma, Bayern Munich against Bodø/Glimt and Manchester United against Sabah FC. The results of those games could significantly reshape the standings before the opening round is officially completed.
Under the Champions League league-phase format, every position can make a major difference. The top eight teams at the end of the league phase automatically qualify for the round of 16.
Teams finishing between 9th and 24th place must go through the knockout play-offs to reach the last 16, while clubs ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from European competition.
Current Champions League standings
| Rank | Team | Points | Goal difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | 3 | +5 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 3 | +4 |
| 3 | Sporting CP | 3 | +2 |
| 4 | Stuttgart | 3 | +2 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 3 | +2 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 3 | +1 |
| 7 | Real Betis | 3 | +1 |
| 8 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | +1 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 3 | +1 |
| 10 | Real Madrid | 3 | +1 |
| 11 | Arsenal | 3 | +1 |
| 12 | AEK Athens | 3 | +1 |
| 13 | Villarreal | 0 | -1 |
| 14 | Club Brugge | 0 | -1 |
| 15 | Lille | 0 | -1 |
| 16 | Atlético Madrid | 0 | -1 |
| 17 | Inter Milan | 0 | -1 |
| 18 | LASK | 0 | -1 |
| 19 | Napoli | 0 | -1 |
| 20 | Galatasaray | 0 | -2 |
| 21 | Viking | 0 | -2 |
| 22 | Porto | 0 | -2 |
| 23 | Feyenoord | 0 | -4 |
| 24 | Slovan Bratislava | 0 | -5 |
With six matches still to be played, Real Madrid’s 10th position could change before the end of the opening matchday. For now, however, Mourinho’s men have achieved the essential objective: starting their Champions League campaign with three points.
The team is training. 💪 pic.twitter.com/nKgwOIv0dg
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) September 10, 2026
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