How to watch the Champions League for free this week

The 2026-27 Champions League opening round begins on Tuesday, September 8, with every match streaming live on Paramount+ as the top club teams in Europe square off for the title of continental champion. Here’s how to watch the Champions League for free today.

The UEFA Champions League streams every game on Paramount+, with select games also airing on CBS Sports Network, and available to stream with DIRECTV (free trial) or fuboTV (free trial).

We recommend Paramount+ as the best streaming service for the Champions League, for its comprehensive coverage of the competition.

A direct subscription to Paramount+ is the most straightforward way to watch the Champions League, but Paramount+ no longer offers a free trial. If you’re hoping to cash in on a free trial, or just aren’t sure you want to pay yet, there are still two easy ways to watch for free:

Stream your favorite shows free for 5 days, with new promotional pricing on subscriptions.

CBS Sports Network is available via fuboTV (free trial) and DIRECTV Ultimate (free trial), but only a limited number of games air on that channel each week.

The 2026 UEFA Champions League starts at 12:45 p.m. ET/9:45 p.m. PT live on Paramount+ on Tuesday, September 8. Matchday 1 continues through Thursday, September 10, with games beginning at the same time each day, and later games kicking off at 3 p.m. ET.

Here’s the full, can’t miss Champions League schedule this week.

The League will be back with Matchday 2 on October 13, and ladder play continues through January 2027 before the playoffs begin.

The UEFA Champions League is Europe’s biggest club soccer tournament, bringing together the top teams from leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. In the current format, 36 teams play eight league-stage matches against different opponents. The top teams advance to the knockout rounds, where it becomes win-or-go-home soccer all the way to the final. The winner is crowned the best club team in Europe.

Ben Axelson is the eCommerce Content Supervisor for syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, covering sports, TV, streaming and tickets for teams including the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, New York Giants, New York...

This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Syracuse.com staff.