Arsenal begin their 2026/27 UEFA Youth League campaign against Napoli on Wednesday afternoon, several hours before Mikel Arteta’s first team face the Serie A side in the Champions League.
The young Gunners travel to Italy for the opening match of the new league phase as they attempt to improve on their recent record in Europe’s leading academy competition.
Here is everything Arsenal supporters need to know about Napoli U19 vs Arsenal U19.
What time is Napoli U19 vs Arsenal U19?
Napoli U19 host Arsenal U19 on Wednesday 9 September, with kick-off scheduled for 1pm BST.
UEFA lists the fixture for 14:00 CET. Unlike the senior match later that evening, the Youth League game will be staged at the Giuseppe Piccolo in Cercola, rather than the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The official UEFA match page confirms Napoli as Arsenal’s first opponent of the new campaign.
Arsenal’s senior side then face Napoli at 8pm BST in the Champions League.
How can Arsenal fans watch the UEFA Youth League?
UEFA says streams and highlights from the Youth League are available through UEFA.tv during the competition.
Supporters should check UEFA.tv closer to kick-off for the individual match listing and regional availability.
The competition provides an increasingly useful platform for Arsenal’s academy players to gain European experience against some of the strongest youth sides on the continent.
ReadArsenal has already looked at the Arsenal youngsters worth knowing ahead of the 2026/27 season, while several academy players have been involved around Mikel Arteta’s senior squad during recent months.
Defender Marli Salmon, for example, recently signed his first professional Arsenal contract after his rapid progress through the Hale End system.
How does the UEFA Youth League work?
Arsenal are competing through the Champions League path and will play six league-phase matches.
Their schedule begins at Napoli before fixtures against Lille, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
UEFA’s Youth League guide confirms that the top 22 clubs in the Champions League path advance to the knockout phase, where they are joined by ten teams progressing through the domestic champions path.
That gives Arsenal a clear target after failing to reach the knockout rounds in each of the previous two campaigns.
The first opportunity to put points on the board comes in Naples on Wednesday afternoon.
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