PSG have won the last two UEFA Champions League finals in a row. Nobody's retained the trophy since Real Madrid managed it three years straight from 2016 to 2018, and the French side go into 2026/27 chasing a three-peat.

For Australian punters, the more useful question is where to actually watch it. Stan Sport carries every one of the season's matches, while Nine Network's free-to-air deal only covers the final itself.

Mix that up and you're either paying for a subscription you didn't need or missing games you assumed were free.

Here's the season, the broadcast breakdown, and what time matches actually kick off on this side of the world.

When Does the 2026/27 Champions League Start?

The 2026/27 season is the third under the 36-team league phase format, running from September through to next June.

League phase draw: Thursday 27 August 2026, Monaco

Matchday 1: 8 to 10 September 2026

Matchdays 2 to 6: mid-October through early December 2026

Matchdays 7 and 8: 19/20 and 27 January 2027

Knockout phase play-offs: 16/17 and 23/24 February 2027

Round of 16: 9/10 and 16/17 March 2027

Quarter-finals: 6/7 and 13/14 April 2027

Semi-finals: 27/28 April and 4/5 May 2027

Final: Saturday 5 June 2027, Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid

PSG beat Arsenal on penalties in Budapest last season after a 1-1 draw, their second final win running. Whoever lifts it in Madrid will have got through 36 clubs and the better part of nine months to do it.

How to Watch the Champions League in Australia

Stan Sport holds the exclusive Australian rights to the whole competition, and the deal runs through 2026/27. Every match streams live, with select fixtures in 4K on compatible devices. That covers the league phase, the knockout play-off round, right through to the final, upwards of 180 matches across the season.

A Stan Sport subscription sits on top of a base Stan plan. Combined pricing runs from roughly $30 a month at the entry tier up past $40 for the Premium plan with 4K across four simultaneous streams.

Nine Network's free-to-air deal is narrower. 9Gem or 9Go! (Nine confirms the specific channel closer to the match) carries the final live and free, simulcast on 9Now. That's the extent of it though. No free-to-air coverage of the league phase or any of the knockout rounds before the final whistle blows on the season.

Worth knowing: the free-to-air final broadcast is a simulcast of the Stan Sport feed. Same commentary, same graphics, same camera angles. If picture quality isn't a dealbreaker, that's the same viewing experience minus the monthly cost, just for the one match.

What Time Do Champions League Matches Kick Off in Australia?

European matches typically kick off in one of two slots, 18:45 or 21:00 CET (CEST while Europe's on daylight saving). UEFA confirms exact times and broadcast slots once the draw is made, so treat these as the general pattern rather than a fixture-by-fixture guarantee.

The complication for Australian viewers is that Europe and Australia sit on different daylight saving calendars, so the gap between the two shifts across the season.

• September (Matchday 1): Australia's still on AEST, Europe's on CEST. The two kick-off slots land around 2:45am and 5:00am AEST.
• October through late March: Australian clocks go forward in early October, well before Europe's do in late March. For most of the season that puts the gap at 9 to 10 hours, so kick-offs shift out to somewhere between 3:45am and 7:00am AEDT.
• April onwards (quarter-finals through the final): Australia reverts to AEST in early April, before Europe's daylight saving ends. The gap narrows back to 8 hours, and kick-offs return to that 2:45am to 5:00am window.

The final itself kicks off at 18:00 CEST on Saturday 5 June 2027, landing at 2:00am AEST on Sunday 6 June.

UEFA moved the final forward from the old 21:00 slot starting with the 2026 Budapest decider, specifically to make it more manageable for fans watching outside Europe.

Perth punters can knock a further 2 hours off every time listed above.

Champions League Betting Markets

For the latest Champions League odds and markets, check out our dedicated odds page here at Sportsbet.

The outright winner market is the obvious starting point, and PSG's price reflects back-to-back titles and a squad built to go deep again. Progression markets, such as finishing inside the automatic top eight versus needing the knockout play-off round, are where the league phase format actually creates something new to bet on compared to the old group stage setup.

Match-by-match head-to-head, totals, and both teams to score markets run on every fixture from Matchday 1 through to the final, all sitting alongside the latest soccer odds across the rest of the competitions.

Golden Boot markets track the competition's top scorer across the full season, and tend to move hard once the knockout rounds thin the field down to whoever's still playing.

And if you want the full continental picture, it's worth reading up on betting on the Conference League, the third UEFA club competition alongside this one and the Europa League.

If you're new to European club football and want the fundamentals down before diving into Champions League markets specifically, our guide to betting on European soccer covers the basics across all the continent's major leagues and competitions.

If it's the other UEFA competitions you're following, it's worth learning how to bet on the Europa League too, where the same market types apply across a different set of clubs.

Champions League FAQs

Where can I watch the Champions League in Australia?

Stan Sport streams every match of the season live and on demand. Nine Network's free-to-air coverage, on 9Gem or 9Go! and 9Now, is limited to the final.

Do I need Kayo or Foxtel to watch the Champions League?

No. It's a Stan Sport exclusive in Australia, not a Foxtel or Kayo product.

What time do Champions League matches start in Australia?

League phase and knockout matches typically kick off in the early hours, generally landing somewhere between 2:45am and 7:00am on the east coast depending on the time of year and Australia's own daylight saving. Exact times get confirmed once the fixture list drops.

Is the Champions League final free to watch in Australia?

Yes. Nine Network broadcasts it live and free on 9Gem or 9Go!, simulcast on 9Now, with no subscription required.

Who won the Champions League last season?

PSG, beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest on 30 May 2026. It was their second straight title.

How many teams are in the Champions League?

Thirty-six, each playing eight league phase matches. The top eight go straight through to the Round of 16, ninth to 24th contest a knockout play-off round, and the rest are eliminated.