Champions League: 79 Africans involved, and nine matches scheduled for November 3, 2026

Nine Champions League matches will be played on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for the opening of the fourth matchday of the league phase, and African players are everywhere. According to the count published by Afrik-Foot on September 8, 2026, 79 African footballers of 23 nationalities are registered in the competition, spread across 32 of the 36 participating clubs.

The day's schedule, according to UEFA, begins at 6:45 PM with Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Sporting CP and Galatasaray vs. Stuttgart, followed by seven matches at 9:00 PM: Atlético de Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona vs. Aston Villa, Feyenoord vs. Inter Milan, Bodø/Glimt vs. Lille, LASK vs. Slovan Bratislava, Manchester United vs. AS Roma, and Villarreal vs. Paris Saint-Germain.

Hakimi in Spain, Osimhen against El Khannouss

At Villarreal, Moroccan Achraf Hakimi is expected to start at right-back according to both UEFA's probable lineups and the BeFoot website. He arrives with the first hat-trick of his career in his pocket, scored a few days earlier at Le Havre during a 5-1 Parisian victory. On the Spanish side, Senegalese Pape Gueye is also expected to start in midfield.

The Galatasaray vs. Stuttgart clash pits two Africans against each other: Nigerian Victor Osimhen leading the line for the Istanbul club, and Moroccan Bilal El Khannouss as the German side's playmaker, both of whom are probable starters according to UEFA.

At the Camp Nou, Senegalese Nicolas Jackson is expected to lead the Aston Villa attack against FC Barcelona, a club coming off a 4-2 defeat against PSG during the league phase, according to the UEFA summary. Congolese Aaron Wan-Bissaka is reported to be absent for the Villans due to a hamstring injury.

Morocco provides the largest contingent

In the breakdown of the Afrik-Foot count, Morocco leads with 13 players, ahead of Senegal (10), Nigeria (9), Ivory Coast (8), Algeria (6), and Cameroon (5). They are followed by Mali (4), and Ghana and Gambia (3 each). Only four clubs do not field any Africans: Arsenal, Liverpool, Viking FK, and PSV Eindhoven. Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava, Sabah FK, and Slavia Prague each have five.

The matchday continues on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with nine other encounters, including Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Betis, where Guinean Serhou Guirassy is expected to start, Porto vs. Napoli, Leipzig vs. Manchester City, Lens vs. Como, Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal, and two matches at 6:45 PM: AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe vs. Liverpool.