Chelsea’s return to the Champions League for the 2025/26 season, while an enormous boost for everyone involved, has caused some headaches now the Premier League fixture schedule has been confirmed.
It will be the Blues’ first taste of the Champions League in its new expanded format that had its inaugural season last time out. The newly-named league phase, formerly known as the group stage, sees teams now face eight fixtures to try and qualify for the knockouts of Europe’s elite competition.
The scheduled fixture dates for the Champions League league phase are as follows: September 16-18 (MD1), September 30-October 1 (MD2), October 21/22 (MD3), November 4/5 (MD4), November 25/26 (MD5), December 9/10 (MD6), January 20/21 (MD7) and January 28 (MD8).
With that said, football.london has taken a look at the Premier League fixtures Chelsea are scheduled to play before and after their Champions League matches. Of course, the draw for the league phase has not been done yet, but travel time/distance will eventually come into play.
The Blues’ first league phase match will be sandwiched between matchday four and five of the top-flight domestic season. That means a trip to Brentford on September 13/14, with a European match in the midweek, before completing the week at Old Trafford on September 20/21.
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A week later, Chelsea are back at Stamford Bridge with Brighton being the visitors. There will be a Champions League game between the match with the Seagulls and then another home clash against reigning champions Liverpool.
A trip to Nottingham Forest on October 18/19 sits before a midweek Champions League clash. It is then a home match with newly-promoted Sunderland to follow, before a European clash is sandwiched between Tottenham (away) and Wolves (home) the next week.
Chelsea go to Turf Moor on November 22/23, with the fifth Champions League league phase fixture between Burnley away and Arsenal at home on November 29/30. There is only one European fixture for the Blues in December and that is in between Bournemouth (away) and Everton (home).
January sees matchday seven of the Champions League with Brentford (home) and Crystal Palace (away) either side of the penultimate league phase game. Every team will kick off at the same time for matchday eight the following week, with the aforementioned trip to Selhurst Park and a home clash with West Ham United in the days before and after.
Here is the Premier League and Champions League schedule in full:
September 13/14: Brentford (A)
September 16/18: Champions League MD1
September 20/21: Manchester United (A)
September 27/28: Brighton (H)
September 30/October 1: Champions League MD2
October 4/5: Liverpool (H)
October 18/19: Nottingham Forest (A)
October 21/22: Champions League MD3
October 25/26: Sunderland (H)
November 1/2: Tottenham (A)
November 4/5: Champions League MD4
November 8/9: Wolves (H)
November 22/23: Burnley (A)
November 25/26: Champions League MD5
November 29/30: Arsenal (H)
December 6/7: Bournemouth (A)
December 9/10: Champions League MD6
December 13/14: Everton (H)
January 17/18: Brentford (H)
January 20/21: Champions League MD7
January 24/25: Crystal Palace (A)
January 28: Champions League MD8
January 31: West Ham United (H)
