The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (UCL) begins on Tuesday – and so does the competition’s official Fantasy game.
Unlike in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), where it’s hands-off management after the deadline passes, there are changes UCL Fantasy managers can make midway through a Matchday, including captaincy.
Here, we’ve put together a guide to the league phase calendar so you can see who the best armband candidates are every day.
- READ MORE: UCL Fantasy 2025/26 ultimate guide: Best players, tips, team reveals + more
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DAY-BY-DAY CAPTAINCY PICKS: MATCHDAY 1
TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER
With Real Madrid at home to Marseille, Kylian Mbappe (€10.5m) is a very strong captaincy candidate.
Xabi Alonso’s side have started the season in good form, winning all four of their La Liga matches.
Penalty taker Mbappe struck seven times in the Champions League last season, and has four in four games for his club in the current campaign.
If you fancy a differential, you could consider Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres (€9.0m) against Athletic Club, who will be without key man Nico Williams (€8.0m), or Vangelis Pavlidis (€7.5m) – Benfica’s opponents Qarabag have only been in the group stages of the Champions League once before.
WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Wednesday looks much more open for captaincy.
Denzel Dumfries (€6.0m) continues to play a wing-back role in Cristian Chivu’s 3-5-2 formation, and has already netted against Udinese this season.
A trip to Ajax presents another opportunity for him to demonstrate his attacking potential.
Inter teammate Marcus Thuram (€8.0m) is another candidate. He scored a thumping header against Juventus on Saturday.
Liverpool haven’t even nearly hit top gear this season, but have four wins from four in the Premier League. Some may be tempted by penalty taker Mohamed Salah (€10.5m), then.
Other options include Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (€10.5m), who has already hit eight goals in five club appearances in 2025/26, and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi (€6.0m).
THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
At home to Kairat Almaty, Sporting CP will fancy their chances.
The Opta Power Rankings only have Kairat as the 435th best team in the world, below Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday.
Talisman and set-piece taker Pedro Goncalves (€6.5m) could be a good option – he’s already racked up seven attacking returns this season.
Elsewhere, Erling Haaland (€10.5m) carries significant potential at home to Napoli.
Raphinha (€9.5m), meanwhile, had an impressive UCL record last season, scoring 13 goals and providing nine assists in 14 appearances. It earned the Brazilian 137 points, by far the most of any player.
Although Barcelona face a challenging fixture at St James’ Park, you can never write Raphinha off.
DAY-BY-DAY CAPTAINCY PICKS: MATCHDAY 2-8
Looking further ahead, here’s a briefer look at some of the most eye-catching fixtures and captains in Matchdays 2-8.
Plenty can change between now and then, of course.
However, for planning purposes, here are some of the best options.
| Matchday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Dumfries – Slavia Prague (h) Kane – Pafos (a) Mbappe – Kairat (a) Salah – Galatasaray (a) | Haaland – Monaco (a) Saka/Gyokeres – Olympiakos (h) |
| 3 | Dumfries – Union SG (a) Haaland – Villarreal (a) Hakimi – Leverkusen (a) Raphinha – Olympiakos (h) | Kane – Club Brugge (h) Palmer – Ajax (h) Salah – Frankfurt (a) Williams – Qarabag (h) |
| 4 | Alvarez – Union SG (h) Saka/Gyokeres – Slavia Prague (a) Porro/Xavi – Copenhagen (h) | Dumfries – Kairat (h) Haaland – Dortmund (h) Palmer – Qarabag (a) Raphinha – Club Brugge (a) |
| 5 | De Bruyne – Qarabag (h) Haaland – Leverkusen (h) Williams – Slavia Prague (a) Yildiz – Bodo/Glimt (a) | Goncalves – Club Brugge (h) Mbappe – Olympiakos (a) Salah – PSV (h) |
| 6 | Kane – Sporting (h) Porro/Xavi – Slavia Prague (a) Raphinha – Frankfurt (h) | Guirassy – Bodo/Glimt (h) Hakimi/Dembele – Athletic Club (a) Saka/Gyokeres – Club Brugge (a) Yildiz – Pafos (h) |
| 7 | De Bruyne – Copenhagen (a) Haaland – Bodo/Glimt (a) Hakimi/Dembele – Sporting (a) Mbappe – Monaco (h) | Kane – Union SG (h) Palmer – Pafos (h) Raphinha – Slavia Prague (a) Salah – Marseille (a) |
| 8 | Haaland – Galatasaray (h) Raphinha – Copenhagen (h) Saka/Gyokeres – Kairat (h) Salah – Qarabag (h) |
