Will Max Dowman play for Arsenal tonight in Champions League?

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Evening Standard

·17 marzo 2026

Will Max Dowman play for Arsenal tonight in Champions League?

Arsenal youngster is in contention to feature against Bayer Leverkusen

Max Dowman could make more history if he features for Arsenal in their Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen tonight.

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Dowman has made plenty of headlines already in his young career and has been tipped as a future star having trained with the Arsenal first-team squad last season aged just 14.

He made his senior debut earlier in the season, aged just 15 years and 235 days against Leeds to become the second-youngest player ever to play in a Premier League fixture, after Arsenal team-mate Ethan Nwaneri, who was 15 years and 181 days when he featured against Brentford in September 2022.

An injury to Dowman in December slowed down the youngster’s progress as he was forced to miss three months of action.

Since returning to fitness, the youngster has repaid Mikel Arteta’s faith with man-of-the-match performances against Mansfield and Everton.

Dowman came off the bench against Everton at the weekend, helping to set up the goal for Viktor Gyokeres which broke the deadlock as the clock ticked into stoppage time.

He then sealed the win by finishing into an empty net after Jordan Pickford went up for a corner.

The goal, after skipping past two defenders, made him the youngest scorer ever in the Premier League and there could yet be more history for Dowman to achieve in Europe.

Can Max Dowman play in Champions League last-16 for Arsenal?

The simple answer to the question is yes, he can.

There are no age limitations currently in place throughout UEFA competitions, meaning Dowman is eligible to play for Arsenal during the knockout phase.

Dowman was an unused substitute against Leverkusen in the first leg last week and Arteta has suggested the talented youngster is an option to feature on Tuesday night.

Arteta said: “Depending on the game and how he reacts, I think his reaction has been really positive, and in relation to what we need in the game, it's always a possibility.”

Of course, Dowman has already played in the Champions League for Arsenal this season. In fact. he became the first 15-year-old to grace the competition when he came off the bench in the league phase win over Slavia Prague in November.

Champions League debut: Max Dowman

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Can Max Dowman become youngest scorer in Champions League?

Yes. If Dowman finds the back of the net against Leverkusen he will become the Champions League’s youngest scorer aged 16 years and 76 days.

Ansu Fati currently holds the record when he scored for Barcelona against Inter Milan in December 2019, aged 17 years and 40 days.

Even if Dowman does not score tonight, or in the Champions League this season, he still has plenty of time to claim the record as he does not turn 17 until December.

Another record Dowman can claim is the youngest scorer in the Champions League knockout stage which is currently held by Bojan Krkic when he netted for Barcelona aged 17 years and 217 days in the quarter-final first leg win over Schalke in April 2008.

Nwaneri is currently the fourth youngest scorer in the knockout stage of the Champions League when he netted in Arsenal’s 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 first leg last season.