UEFA announces the ideal lineup for the first round of the Champions League

UEFA has announced the ideal lineup for the first round of the group stage in the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/2027 season, featuring several standout players from the opening round.

The ideal lineup features Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, alongside Spanish player Ferran Torres, who recently joined Paris Saint-Germain, and Brazilian forward Raphinha of FC Barcelona.

In contrast, Norwegian Erling Haaland was absent from the ideal lineup, despite scoring two goals with Manchester City against FC Porto during the first round.

The ideal lineup for the first round of the UEFA Champions League is as follows:

Thibaut Courtois is the goalkeeper for Real Madrid.

Defence: Sergiño Dest "PSV Eindhoven" - Marc Bartra "Real Betis" - Pau Torres "Aston Villa" - Archie Brown "Fenerbahçe".

Midfield: Michael Olise "Bayern Munich" - Martin Ødegaard "Arsenal" - Martin Baturina "Como" - Ferran Torres "Paris Saint-Germain".

In the attack: Raphinha from FC Barcelona - Demirovic from VfB Stuttgart.