Roma start their Champions League adventure with a draw in Turkey

Roma makes its return to the Champions League after seven seasons of absence, opening the campaign with a 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce's ground. The team coached by Gian Piero Gasperini took the lead in the first half thanks to Cristante, only to concede the late equaliser from Archie Brown in the second half.

The result marks the start of the yellow and reds' journey in the new 36‑team format, which features a single group of eight matches against Real Madrid, Slovan Bratislava, Manchester United, PSG, Sporting, AEK Athens and Lille.

Champions League Format 2026/27

The new organisational model has increased the total prize pool distributed by UEFA, now amounting to €2.47 billion.

The seasonal debut already guarantees a significant financial base: the participation bonus is €18.62 million, to which €700,000 from the draw with the Turks is added.

A win at this stage is worth €2.1 million, while the final placement in the mega‑ranking will allocate prize money in tiers, starting from a minimum base of €275,000 for the last position.

The value pillar, which combines television rights revenues and the historic ranking, foresees for the 2026/27 season earnings of €21.50 million from the European share and €8.99 million from the non‑European share, for a total of €30.49 million.

Adding up all the guaranteed items, Roma has already secured a treasury of €50.09 million, a figure set to grow based on future European results.