SSC Napoli - Arsenal FC live - Football

SSC Napoli and Arsenal open their UEFA Champions League 2026/27 league-phase campaigns on Wednesday, 9 September at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. Napoli arrive after a mixed Serie A start - one win, one loss - while Arsenal head south having won their last three competitive matches without conceding a single goal. Across four previous European encounters, Arsenal have won three, making this a fixture with history and stakes on both sides.

Match Info: SSC Napoli vs Arsenal

SSC Napoli take on Arsenal on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, with kick-off at 20:00 BST at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy. The match is the opening matchday of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 league phase.

Where to Watch SSC Napoli vs Arsenal?

Viewers in England can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2 on television or stream it via HBO Max online. Fans in Ireland have the choice of TNT Sports 2 or Virgin Media Two on TV, with Virgin TV Go and HBO Max available as online streaming options.

Supporters in the United States can follow the action on Paramount+, while Canadian fans can stream the match on DAZN or fuboTV Canada. In Australia, the broadcast home is Stan Sport, and Japanese viewers can tune in on Wowow. Across Latin America, Disney+ carries the match in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Venezuela, while the Dominican Republic is covered by Disney+ Premium Caribbean. Brazil is served by HBO Max.

Elsewhere, Indian supporters can stream on JioTV or Sony LIV - the latter also covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. France has access through myCanal, Spain through Movistar+, and Turkey via the tabii platform. Norway is served by TV2 Play, Denmark by Viaplay Denmark, Sweden by Viaplay Sweden, Finland by MTV Katsomo, and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by Go3. Russia broadcasts on Okko Sport, China on iQiyi, and Indonesia on Vidio.

Match between SSC Napoli and Arsenal - Preview

The clash between Napoli and Arsenal is one of the most eye-catching opening-night fixtures in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, pitting two European heavyweights against each other in a city where football passion runs as deep as anywhere on the continent.

For Arsenal, this match carries extra emotional weight. Mikel Arteta's side came within a penalty kick of Champions League glory last season, losing 1:1 (4:3 on penalties) to PSG in the Budapest final at the Puskás Aréna, with Gabriel Magalhães missing the decisive spot-kick. That near-miss has sharpened the Gunners' hunger, and a trip to Naples on the very first night of a new European campaign feels like a statement of intent. Summer signing Bruno Guimarães adds midfield quality, while Kai Havertz - author of Arsenal's Budapest goal - carries the confidence of a player who performed on the grandest stage.

Napoli, under new head coach Massimiliano Allegri, are entering the Champions League on the back of Antonio Conte's 2024/25 Scudetto triumph. Allegri has at his disposal a squad that includes goalkeepers Alex Meret and Vanja Milinković-Savić, wingers Noa Lang and Lorenzo Lucca, alongside summer signings Benoît Badiashile and Costantino Favasuli. The Partenopei will be eager to show they belong at this level from the first whistle, particularly after a home defeat to Como in Serie A raised early questions about the new tactical identity.

Head-to-Head: SSC Napoli vs Arsenal

Arsenal hold a clear advantage in the head-to-head record, having won 3 of the 4 previous meetings with Napoli and scoring 5 goals to Napoli's 2 across all encounters. Crucially, every one of those meetings took place in European competition, meaning the Neapolitan side have never faced the Gunners in a low-stakes context.

Here is the complete head-to-head record between SSC Napoli and Arsenal:

• 18 April 2019 - UEFA Europa League - Napoli 0:1 Arsenal
• 11 April 2019 - UEFA Europa League - Arsenal 2:0 Napoli
• 11 December 2013 - UEFA Champions League - Napoli 2:0 Arsenal
• 1 October 2013 - UEFA Champions League - Arsenal 2:0 Napoli

SSC Napoli - Recent Form

Napoli's opening weeks of the 2026/27 season have been uneven, though their underlying attacking quality remains evident ahead of their European debut at the Maradona.

In pre-season, Allegri's side showed their firepower convincingly, thrashing Aris Thessaloniki 6:2 before edging out Osasuna 2:1 and drawing 1:1 with Celta Vigo. The Serie A campaign then brought contrasting emotions: a strong 2:0 win away at Genoa on 22 August demonstrated their road-game credentials, but the home loss to Como on 30 August - ending 1:2 - was a jarring result. Across their last 5 matches overall, Napoli have recorded 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, scoring 12 goals and conceding 6.

The defeat to Como, freshest in the memory, is the result Allegri will be most eager to wash away. A Champions League opener at home against a top Premier League side could be exactly the galvanising occasion Napoli need to reassert themselves.

Arsenal - Recent Form

Arsenal arrive at the Maradona in excellent shape, having won all three of their competitive fixtures at the start of 2026/27 without letting in a single goal - a run that bodes well for their Champions League ambitions.

The season opened in style with a 3:0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City on 16 August, followed by a comfortable 3:0 home win against Coventry in the Premier League on 21 August. The Gunners then travelled to Villa Park and produced a disciplined 1:0 victory over Aston Villa on 31 August, keeping their third successive clean sheet in competitive football. Their only defeat in the last five matches was a 2:3 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup before the season began - a result that has not dented their momentum in the slightest.

Arteta's defensive organisation has been impressive, and with Bruno Guimarães providing creative energy in midfield, Arsenal look equipped to challenge in both domestic and European arenas. The meeting of Arsenal and Napoli has every ingredient of a classic Champions League evening.

Facts and Statistics

SSC Napoli and Arsenal have met only four times in history, yet each encounter has been steeped in European significance - from a Champions League group stage duel in 2013 to a Europa League quarter-final six years later. Now the clubs reconvene in the Champions League for the first time since that 2013/14 group stage.

• Arsenal have won 3 of their 4 meetings with Napoli, conceding just 2 goals across all four matches.
• Napoli's only win over Arsenal came on 11 December 2013 at the Maradona (2:0) - yet Arsenal still progressed from that Champions League group stage.
• Arsenal reached the 2025/26 Champions League final, losing to PSG 1:1 (4:3 on penalties) in Budapest - their most recent appearance in a European final.
• Napoli won the 2024/25 Serie A title under Antonio Conte with 82 points, earning Champions League qualification. Massimiliano Allegri has since taken charge for the 2026/27 season.
• This fixture marks Arsenal's first Champions League appearance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona - a venue famous for its electric atmosphere on European nights.