The European socccer season doesn't truly get underway until the Champions League kicks off in earnest — and the group stage begins this week with a number of great matches.
Defending champion Chelsea hosts Zenit Saint Petersburg on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge with new, bigger expectations. Not much was thought of the Blues' chances last season given their poor start to the domestic campaign under former manager Frank Lampard, but Thomas Tuchel came in and transformed the team's outlook and results.
Included in that transformation was a run to the Champions League final, where Chelsea downed fellow Premier League side Manchester City to complete the unlikely revival. This season the Blues are expected to compete for titles both domestically and in the Champions League, and the latter starts against a tough side on Matchday 1.
Elsewhere, several marquee games dot the fixture list this week. Italian and Spanish giants collide when Inter and Real Madrid clash in Milan, we get a rematch of the 2005 final when Liverpool hosts AC Milan, and Barcelona goes for revenge against a Bayern Munich side that embarrassed the Catalans in the quarterfinals of the 2019-20 tournament.
Canadian content includes Bayern's Alphonso Davies in that Barcrelona match, Besiktas duo Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson facing Borussia Dortmund, and Jonathan David potentially leading the line for Lille against Wolfsburg.
Here's the full schedule for Matchday 1 of the Champions League season, plus how to watch every game live.
Champions League Matchday 1: Schedule, fixtures
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Sept. 14 | 12:45 p.m. | Sevilla vs. RB Salzburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 12:45 p.m. | Young Boys vs. Manchester United | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Lille vs. VfL Wolfsburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Villarreal vs. Atalanta | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Chelsea vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Malmo vs. Juventus | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv vs. Benfica | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 12:45 p.m. | Besiktas vs. Borussia Dortmund | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 12:45 p.m. | Sheriff vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Atletico Madrid vs. Porto | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Club Brugge vs. PSG | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Liverpool vs. Milan | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Sporting vs. Ajax | DAZN |
How to watch Champions League in Canada: TV and live stream
Champions League matches stream exclusively live and on-demand on DAZN in Canada.
DAZN, the first global pure sport live and on-demand streaming service, has the streaming rights for the Champions League in Canada for the 2021-22 season.
DAZN is available on web browsers at DAZN.com and also has apps available for many TV and streaming devices, including:
- iPhone, iPad
- Android phones and tablets
- Amazon Fire Tablet
- Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
- Apple TV
- Android TV
- Google Chromecast
- LG, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung smart TVs
- Playstation 3, 4 and Pro, Playstation 5
- Xbox One, One S and One X, Xbox Series X | S
A subscription to DAZN is $20 CAD a month or $150 CAD a year.
Can I watch Champions League games in Canada for free?
In Canada, DAZN offers new customers a 30-day free trial period. You can learn how to sign up for a free trial here.
The free-trial period includes access to all of DAZN's live and on-demand programming, including Premier League, Europa League, the NFL and more.