Lille begin their Champions League campaign against Real Betis at the Stade Pierre Mauroy on Tuesday, with both sides seeking an early advantage in the new league-phase format.
The match, which kicks off at 19:00 GMT, will be Lille’s first European fixture of the season on home soil. Real Betis travel from Spain determined to claim three points and make an ideal start to their own campaign.
Match details
- Date: Tuesday, 8 September 2026 - Kick-off: 19:00 GMT - Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
The game will be shown on Canal+ Sport in France, New World Sport in sub-Saharan Africa, Proximus Pickx/Pickx+ Sports 4 in Belgium, and Blue Sport/DAZN Germany in Switzerland.
Viewers in Canada can watch on DAZN Canada or fuboTV Canada, while Sport TV5 has the rights in Portugal. The match is available on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom, CBS/Paramount+ in the United States, beIN Sports HD 2 and beIN SPORTS CONNECT across North Africa, and Ziggo Sport in the Netherlands.
This will be the first competitive meeting between Lille and Real Betis. Their only previous encounter came in a friendly, which ended 2-2 on 28 July 2018.
Lille have encouraging recent European results against Spanish opposition. The French club have won their past three Champions League matches against teams from Spain, providing confidence before their latest meeting with a La Liga side.
Real Betis, however, have struggled on previous competitive trips to France. In five such matches, the Andalusian club have suffered four defeats and recorded one draw.
Lille are preparing for their ninth appearance in the main phase of the Champions League. The club are entering the competition after their best Ligue 1 season since 2021 and have reached the knockout stages of European competition in each of the past five campaigns.
Davide Ancelotti will take charge of a team that has remained unbeaten since the start of the domestic season. Lille have recorded two wins and one draw, while Ancelotti is preparing for his first match as a manager in the Champions League.
Real Betis return to the competition for the first time in 21 years after finishing fifth in La Liga last season. Manuel Pellegrini’s side arrive in northern France after a notable 1-0 victory over Real Madrid, a result that completed their strongest start to a league campaign since 2015-16.
Their away record remains a concern, though. Real Betis have won only two of their past 10 competitive away matches, drawing three and losing five.
The pre-match assessment therefore favours Lille narrowly. Real Betis’ victory against Real Madrid underlines their quality, but their recent struggles away from home, combined with Lille’s strong record against Spanish clubs, suggest the hosts may have the edge.
Africafoot’s prediction is a 2-1 victory for Lille.
Ahead of the match, the betting odds listed by 1xBet make Lille the favourites at 2.20. A draw is priced at 3.40, while a Real Betis win is listed at 3.25.