Champions League Kick-Off Times 2026 — Full Schedule & How to Watch

Champions League kick-off times follow two slots set in Central European Time: 18:45 for a few early matches and 21:00 for the rest. In the UK that means 5:45pm and 8pm; on the US East Coast it is usually 12:45pm and 3pm. Matches are played mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with the final on a Saturday. Always confirm each fixture on uefa.com or in your EPG, because UEFA can set different times for specific matches.

The Two Standard Kick-Off Slots

UEFA schedules every matchday in Central European Time (CET in winter, CEST in summer), regardless of where each game is played. The main slot, 21:00 CET, carries most fixtures, including the headline ties. The early slot, 18:45 CET, takes a smaller number of games so that broadcasters can show more matches live across the evening. On the final matchday of the league phase, all games kick off at the same time to keep the table fair.

Europe and North America change their clocks on different dates in spring and autumn. For those short periods, US times run one hour later than shown. India does not use daylight saving, so its times shift when Europe changes its clocks.

Champions League Season Schedule

Since the 2024/25 season the competition has used a single league phase of 36 clubs, each playing eight matches against different opponents, followed by knockout rounds. The broad calendar looks like this:

Knockout ties are mostly played in the 21:00 CET slot, so the early slot is most common during the league phase. The exact dates for each season are on uefa.com, and the final has its own guide to watching the final live.

Which Channel Shows Each Match?

Broadcast rights are sold separately in each country, so there is no single channel list that applies everywhere. Typically, the rights holder in your country shows its main match on its flagship channel and spreads simultaneous fixtures across secondary channels or a streaming app. Check UEFA's official "where to watch" listings for your country, then confirm on the night in your programme guide.

On our live TV service, the EPG lists upcoming sports programmes across UK, European and international channels, so you can search for a club name instead of checking several broadcaster websites.

Using the EPG So You Never Miss a Kick-Off

1. Set your time zone. In your IPTV player's settings, choose the time zone you are in so listings match your local clock.
2. Refresh the guide. Update the EPG on matchday so late schedule changes appear.
3. Search by club. Use the guide search to find which channel lists your team's match.
4. Set a reminder. Most players, including TiviMate on Android, let you add a reminder from the guide so the channel opens at kick-off.
5. Plan for catch-up. If an 18:45 game clashes with work, use catch-up to watch from the start later in the evening.

If listings look empty or wrong, our EPG troubleshooting guide walks through the usual fixes, and the catch-up TV guide explains how replay windows work.

Kick-Off Times for Fans Further Afield

The European evening slots land at very different hours around the world. In the Gulf states (UTC+4), the main slot is midnight in winter and 11pm in summer, with the early slot at 9:45pm or 8:45pm. In Australia and New Zealand, 21:00 CET falls in the early hours of the following morning, so most fans there rely on catch-up or watch the early slot before work. In Latin America, matches arrive in the afternoon, much like on the US East Coast. Whatever your location, setting the correct time zone in your player is what makes the EPG listings line up with your clock.

Champions League, Europa League and Conference League Nights

UEFA keeps its three club competitions on separate nights so they do not compete for viewers. The Champions League takes Tuesday and Wednesday, while the Europa League and Conference League are played on Thursday, using the same 18:45 and 21:00 CET slots. If you follow clubs in more than one competition, that means up to three nights of European football in a single week, which is where a well-organised list of favourite channels saves time.

Planning a Season of Midweek Football

• Save the matchday dates from uefa.com to your calendar at the start of the season, then add kick-off times once they are confirmed.
• Mark favourites in your player so the channels you use for European nights sit together at the top of the list.
• Use catch-up for clashes with work, school runs or a second match you also want to see.
• Test your setup early on a quieter league-phase night, not for the first time on a quarter-final.

Why Kick-Off Times Sometimes Differ

• Clock changes: the gap between Europe and other regions changes for a few weeks each spring and autumn.
• Security or travel: UEFA can move a match to a different slot at the request of local authorities.
• Venues far to the east: a small number of matches in distant time zones can be scheduled outside the usual slots.
• Final matchday: simultaneous kick-offs replace the usual early and late split.

Watching Two Matches at Once

With several games at 21:00 CET, many fans like to follow two at once. A multi-device plan lets one person watch the main match on the TV while another follows a second game on a tablet or laptop. Some Android players also support split-screen viewing on a single TV. Plan options for two, three or four devices are listed on our subscription options page.