Champions League 2026/27 Draw: League Phase Opponents Revealed

Champions League 2026/27 Draw: League Phase Opponents Revealed

The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase has been completed in Monaco, with all 36 clubs discovering the eight opponents they will face on their road to the knockout stage.

Several heavyweight clashes immediately stand out. Real Madrid will face Arsenal and Inter, Barcelona have been drawn against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, while Arsenal face a demanding schedule that includes Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli.

How Does the Champions League Draw Work?

The Champions League no longer uses the traditional eight-group format. Instead, all 36 teams compete in one league table.

For the draw, the clubs are divided into four pots of nine teams, based mainly on their UEFA club coefficients. Each club is drawn against two teams from each pot:

• Pot 1: 2 opponents — 1 home, 1 away
• Pot 2: 2 opponents — 1 home, 1 away
• Pot 3: 2 opponents — 1 home, 1 away
• Pot 4: 2 opponents — 1 home, 1 away

That means every club plays:
8 matches
8 different opponents
4 home games
4 away games

All results count towards the same 36-team league table. Teams cannot normally face another club from their own domestic association and can face a maximum of two clubs from any other single country.

Pot 1 Teams: Who Will They Face?

Here are the league-phase opponents for all nine Pot 1 clubs.

Real Madrid
Home: Inter, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig, LASK
Away: Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, AEK Athens
Key fixtures: Arsenal away and Inter at home.

Paris Saint-Germain
Home: Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Como
Key fixtures: Barcelona at home and Manchester City away.

Barcelona
Home: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Como
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Sabah
Key fixtures: Manchester City at home and PSG away.

Liverpool
Home: Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, Lens
Away: Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, LASK
Key fixtures: Atlético Madrid at Anfield and Inter away.

Bayern Munich
Home: Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt, Slavia Prague
Away: Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille, Viking
Key fixtures: Arsenal at home, along with difficult trips to Atlético Madrid and Manchester United.

Arsenal
Home: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Sabah
Away: Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli, Slavia Prague
Key fixtures: Real Madrid at home and Bayern Munich away.

Arsenal have one of the most demanding schedules among the Pot 1 clubs, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli all among their eight opponents.

Atlético Madrid
Home: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, Viking
Away: Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Bodø/Glimt, VfB Stuttgart
Key fixtures: Bayern Munich and Manchester United at home, plus a difficult trip to Liverpool.

Inter
Home: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, VfB Stuttgart
Away: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava
Key fixtures: Liverpool at home, followed by major away trips to Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Manchester City
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Napoli, AEK Athens
Away: Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig, Lens
Key fixtures: PSG at home and Barcelona away.

Which Teams Got the Toughest Draw?

Several Pot 1 clubs face challenging schedules, but Arsenal, Inter and Bayern Munich stand out.

Arsenal
Arsenal face four particularly difficult opponents: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli. Their home match against Real Madrid and away trip to Bayern could prove especially important.

Inter
Inter host Liverpool but must travel to both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, giving the Italian side one of the more demanding away schedules among the top seeds.

Bayern Munich
Bayern host Arsenal but also face difficult trips to Atlético Madrid and Manchester United.

Manchester City also have two major headline fixtures, hosting PSG before travelling to Barcelona, while Barcelona themselves must travel to Paris.

What Happens After the Eight Matches?

Once all eight league-phase games have been played, the 36 teams are ranked in a single table.

• 1st–8th: The top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16.
• 9th–24th: These 16 teams enter a two-legged knockout phase play-off. The eight winners advance to the Round of 16.
• 25th–36th: These teams are eliminated from European competition. There is no transfer into the Europa League.

Champions League 2026/27 League Phase Dates

• Matchday 1: 8–10 September 2026
• Matchday 2: 13–14 October 2026
• Matchday 3: 20–21 October 2026
• Matchday 4: 3–4 November 2026
• Matchday 5: 24–25 November 2026
• Matchday 6: 8–9 December 2026
• Matchday 7: 19–20 January 2027
• Matchday 8: 27 January 2027

The exact fixture order and kick-off times will be confirmed separately by UEFA.

Champions League 2026/27 at a Glance

When Is the Champions League Final?

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League final will take place on Saturday, 5 June 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.