UEFA Champions League – Inside World Football

Prestianni handed provisional ban from UEFA following racism claim

Andy Elliott — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:56:41 +0000

February 24 – SL Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a provisional one-match suspension by UEFA following allegations of racist abuse during last week’s Champions League tie against Real Madrid.

The suspension means Prestianni is set to miss the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, with UEFA confirming the sanction has been imposed on an interim basis pending the outcome of a full disciplinary investigation. Further measures could follow once the case has been reviewed by an ethics and disciplinary inspector.

Chelsea supporter describes brutal attack that left him in a Naples hospital

Andy Elliott — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:21:21 +0000

January 29 – A Chelsea supporter was taken to hospital after being stabbed in Naples ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Napoli, an incident that cast a shadow over an otherwise successful night for the Club World Cup champions.

The supporter, a 22-year-old Chelsea fan named Marcus who asked not to give his surname, was attacked in the city centre on Tuesday evening while travelling with a small group of fellow supporters.

European giants await Friday’s UEFA Champions League draw

Andy Elliott — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:34:47 +0000

January 29 – The UEFA Champions League eight-match league phase concluded last night, splitting those already into the Round of 16 and those required to jump an additional hurdle via the knock-out play-offs.

Eight clubs – Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Manchester City – have secured direct qualification after each winning their final round fixtures.

The remaining 16 sides, finishing between ninth and 24th,

Madueke nets brace as Arsenal topple Club Brugge in UEFA Champions League

Andy Elliott — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:41:25 +0000

December 11 – Arsenal rose to the summit of the UEFA Champions League standings on Wednesday evening as Noni Madueke notched a brace to maintain the English Premier League club’s perfect record in the competition this year.

With six wins from six, the London club are three points clear at the top of the league table in Europe’s premier club competition after a night with some magic from Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.

Brugge hold Barcelona in epic UEFA Champions League contest

Andy Elliott — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:43:10 +0000

November 6 – Belgian champions Club Brugge were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw against LaLiga giants FC Barcelona in a thrilling box-to-box encounter in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The Bruges-based entity took the lead three times against their Spanish foes and almost claimed an unlikely victory in the latter stages when substitute Romeo Vermant slide in on Barça goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before converting the loose ball – VAR awarding a foul to the visitors on review.

Application phase opens for UEFA’s Champions Innovate programme

Andy Elliott — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:32:52 +0000

October 30 – UEFA has opened the application phase for its innovation programme “Champions Innovate”, the third iteration of the landmark programme that partners with the host association of the Champions League final.

Initially formulated following an extensive stakeholder consultation in 2024, the English FA collaborated for the inaugural programme, with the German FA (DFB) the partner organisation last year.

For 2026, the scheme is focusing on grassroots football in partnership with the Hungarian federation,

UEFA club competition draws to set the platform for 2025/26 season

Andy Elliott — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:22:15 +0000

June 17 – The 2025/26 European club season gets underway this week in Nyon with the draws for the first and second qualifying rounds of UEFA’s three men’s club competitions. More than 150 clubs from 50 national associations will be involved as the long road to the group stages is laid out.

While most domestic leagues are still in their off-seasons, the European calendar starts in earnest with the early rounds of qualifying.

UEFA releases tickets for men’s and women’s club competition finals

Andy Elliott — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:23:34 +0000

April 8 – UEFA has officially opened ticket sales for its 2025 men’s and women’s club competition finals, offering fans across the globe the chance to attend European football’s biggest nights.

In line with its ongoing ‘Fans First’ initiative, UEFA is once again putting supporters at the heart of the allocation process. The majority of tickets for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League finals will go to fans of the finalist clubs and the general public.

Gillette returns to UEFA fold with multi-year Champions League licensing deal

Andy Elliott — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 11:16:47 +0000

February 4 – The UEFA Champions League has a familiar face as its new grooming partner. Gillette, the world’s leading men’s grooming brand, is back in the fold after signing a multi-year global licensing deal with UEFA’s flagship club competition, starting this season.

After a successful collaboration in 2019, Gillette is once again the Official Licensed Shaving Product Partner of the Champions League. This time, though, Gillette’s parent company, P&G is bringing its full male grooming portfolio into play,

Man City ‘rewarded’ for UEFA Champions League qualification with juggernaut play-off

Andy Elliott — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 10:51:39 +0000

January 30 – Manchester City’s ‘reward’ for narrowly avoiding an embarrassing UEFA Champions League exit on Wednesday night is a play-off against a European juggernaut. A 3-1 comeback victory over Club Brugge clinched 22nd place in the league phase and a match against either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who finished 12th and 11th respectively, just to reach the Round of 16. Celtic, who came 21st, will take on the other giant.

Heading into the thrilling final matchday,