UEFA will honour the victims of Nepal’s devastating floods and landslides with a minute’s silence before every Champions League Matchday 1 league-stage game this week.
European football’s governing body will also display banners carrying the message, “You are not alone Nepal,” at stadiums across the competition.
The tribute follows the disaster that struck Nepal on August 26. A glacier collapse triggered a huge surge of ice, rock and mud down the Trishuli River in the country’s border region with China.
The floods and landslides caused widespread destruction across towns and villages. Nepal’s disaster agency said 1,294 bodies had been recovered, while 5,053 people remained missing.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the European football community would stand together with Nepal before this week’s matches.
“The entire European football family will stand together before this week’s matches to express our deepest condolences and our support to the people of Nepal,” Čeferin said.
“We wish them strength and resilience as they continue to recover from this tragedy and its aftermath.”
The tribute will feature across the Champions League programme as the 2026-27 league phase begins on Tuesday.
Several of Europe’s biggest clubs will take part in the opening round of fixtures, including Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
The minute’s silence will precede each Matchday 1 game, while the message on the stadium banners will offer a collective gesture of support to the victims, their families and communities affected by the disaster.
Rescue operations continue in Nepal as authorities search for people still missing after the floods and landslides.
The disaster also affected areas near the Nepal-China border, where rescue and recovery efforts have continued since the August 26 incident.
UEFA’s tribute will therefore bring the disaster into focus across a major week in European football.
The Champions League remains one of the world’s most watched club competitions, with millions expected to follow the opening league-stage fixtures.
Before the players take to the pitch, however, stadiums across Europe will pause to remember those affected by the tragedy in Nepal.
The tribute will form part of every Champions League match this week, giving clubs, players and supporters an opportunity to show solidarity with the victims and those still waiting for news of missing relatives.
