Champions League football and handball seasons begin

The new football Champions League season begins with a revised format featuring 36 teams. In this league phase, teams will play eight matches, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16 and teams ranked 9th to 24th entering a playoff. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will begin their title defense against Slovan Bratislava. A minute of silence will be observed before matches to honor the victims of recent floods and landslides in Nepal.

Simultaneously, the handball Champions League commences with its own new format. The competition features 24 teams divided into six groups of four. Defending champions Barcelona will compete in Group E, while Macedonian champions Vardar returns to the elite level in Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the next stage, while third and fourth-placed teams move to the European League.