Roma have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 2018–19 season, secured by finishing third in Serie A last year. Supporters have responded immediately: from 19 August, when subscriptions for European competition entered open sale, the club has sold more than 35,000 season tickets. The official website initially struggled to manage a queue of over 25,000 visitors. Fans purchased subscriptions before even learning their opponents, driven by an appetite for European football that has lasted since the 2018–19 campaign ended in the last 16 against Porto.
The financial windfall is substantial. UEFA will distribute nearly €2.5 billion across the 36 clubs in the 2026–27 league-phase format, guaranteeing each participant €18.62 million as a baseline. Clubs earn an additional €2.1 million for each victory and €700,000 for each draw, plus bonuses for advancing through the knockout stages; qualification to the last 16 alone would bring Roma a further €11 million. The competition also feeds wider commercial activity—television visibility, sponsorship deals, and regulated gaming revenue—and underpins plans for a new 60,000-capacity stadium at Pietralata, which recently cleared a key environmental assessment stage at the municipality.
A reserved subscription window for season-ticket holders opened 12 August and sold out within weeks. The remaining capacity was offered to all buyers from 19 August onward, and initial fan resistance over pricing did not dampen demand. The first Serie A fixture against Fiorentina is already completely sold out at the Olimpico. Roma's last Champions League match at home came on 12 February 2019, when Zaniolo scored twice in a 2–1 victory over Porto. The league phase will run over eight matchdays, four at home, with the full fixture list to follow the official draw.
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Neil El Aynaoui is leaving Roma after one season, with RB Leipzig acquiring the Moroccan midfielder on a paid loan of €4 million plus a €25 million purchase option and a percentage of any future resale. The 34-year-old made 34 appearances with two goals during his year at the Stadio Olimpico but failed to establish himself as essential to Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical vision. Roma have sanctioned the departure to free midfield space for the incoming transfer window activity.
To replace El Aynaoui, Roma have moved swiftly to secure Marten de Roon from Atalanta. Multiple outlets confirm the Dutch midfielder's arrival at Fiumicino on 29 August for medical examinations and contract signing. Forza Roma reports the deal structured as €1 million with all fees in performance bonuses, while Roma News cites roughly one million euros in bonus payments capped at that figure. De Roon, 35, shares a nine-year history with Gasperini dating to 2017 at Atalanta, where the pair won the Europa League together in 2024 and built a partnership defined by de Roon's defensive intelligence and ball recovery. Corriere dello Sport's nickname for him—"the dam"—captures his role as the unseen engine that retrieves possession and enables attacking players like Paulo Dybala to focus on the final third. De Roon had begun discussions with Bologna but elected to wait for Gasperini's call and requested his release from Bergamo once Roma's negotiations crystallised.
Roma are simultaneously exploring reinforcements in midfield should additional space open. TeleRadioStereo and multiple outlets confirm the club has revived interest in Colombian midfielder Richard Ríos from Benfica, with the Portuguese club open to a loan arrangement. Besiktas are also competing for Ríos. Roma News additionally reports ongoing evaluation of André from Wolverhampton and continued monitoring of attacking targets including Malick Fofana, Jamie Gittens, Luiz Henrique and Jamie Leweling.
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Testo Originale / Source Text
“Sette anni dopo l'ultima volta, la Roma ritrova la Champions League. I tifosi hanno risposto subito. Dal 19 agosto gli abbonamenti
Sette anni dopo l’ultima volta, la Roma ritrova la Champions League. I tifosi hanno risposto subito. Dal 19 agosto gli abbonamenti per le coppe sono in vendita libera,…”
Read the full article in Italian at Roma News.