A staple of the NFL is coming to the Champions League in two years.
Starting in 2027–28, the reigning winners of the men’s UEFA Champions League will host a standalone Tuesday night match to kick off Europe’s most prestigious competition.
The new process is inspired by the NFL, in which each new season begins with the Super Bowl champions taking on a formidable opponent on Thursday night. The game prompts fans of all teams to tune in to the lone game as excitement builds for a fresh campaign.
The NHL and the NBA follow a similar structure; the reigning Stanley Cup champions and the reigning NBA champions both kick off their respective seasons, though those clashes are not standalone games.
The change comes as part of the new media rights deal for UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs, set to start in 2027 and go through 2033. Relevent will run the rights cycle after the American agency replaced UEFA’s long-term partner TEAM Marketing last year.
