UEFA make major Champions League fixture change that could affect Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City could be directly impacted by a significant change approved by UEFA for the Champions League tournament beginning from 2027/28.

The Premier League giants, who remain in the early stages of the brand new 2025/26 campaign, are already navigating the demands of the modernised competition format through its league phase.

UEFA’s decision to expand the former group stage into a 36-team mini-league was one of the biggest structural shake-ups in recent history, and it appears that even more change is coming in the not too distant future.

The new decision will alter the competition’s opening week from 2027/28 onwards, introducing a marquee fixture designed to celebrate the defending champions and increase global attention around the competition’s first matchday.

The change follows UEFA’s wider efforts to strengthen brand engagement and align scheduling more closely with major domestic and international broadcast priorities. In practice, the move also underlines UEFA’s growing ambition to make the Champions League a more marketable, standalone product.

The latest move also sees a repositioning of the competition’s opening night as an annual footballing event similar, to the Super Bowl in the United States or the Premier League’s curtain-raiser weekend.

As explained by The Athletic this week, European football officials have introduced a new format for the men’s Champions League, starting in 2027/28, that will see the competition begin with a standalone Tuesday night match at the home of the reigning champions.

As such, the rest of the opening league phase matches will then be played across the following Wednesday and Thursday, all as part of an effort to ‘increase visibility for all the competing clubs’.

For City, who have been regular contenders at the top of European football under manager Pep Guardiola, the change could hold major significance. Should they qualify as Champions League winners heading into that season, City could find themselves hosting the competition’s inaugural standalone opener, placing them at the centre of UEFA’s global broadcast spotlight.

From a logistical perspective, the change could also alter the rhythm of City’s early-season schedule. A Tuesday-only fixture might offer extended recovery time ahead of domestic commitments, but could also compress their calendar depending on fixture congestion in the Premier League.

UEFA’s latest reform signals an ever-evolving landscape for Europe’s elite. With City among favourites to remain title challengers in the coming years, it would come as little surprise if the Etihad Stadium becomes the stage for a historic first standalone Champions League opener in 2027.