It feels like we just finished watching last season's Champions League final, and now we're already getting ready for another one! The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League is officially starting soon, and all 36 teams now know who they’ll be facing in the league phase after the draw took place in Monaco on August 27th. There are some huge matchups to look forward to this season, including Arsenal vs. Real Madrid, Barcelona vs. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City. We also have four teams making their Champions League debut this season, so there will be plenty of new faces to keep an eye on. If you're looking to get caught up on this year's competition, keep reading for everything you need to know about the draw, the teams and when the matches will take place!
If you're used to the Champions League being played in traditional groups, the format is a little different now! Instead of being divided into groups, all 36 teams will compete together in one league phase. Before the draw, the teams were divided into four seeding pots based on their UEFA club rankings. The Champions League titleholder was the only exception and was automatically placed in Pot 1. Each team was then drawn against eight different opponents, with two opponents coming from each of the four pots. Every team will play four of these matches at home and four away. There were also a few rules in place for the draw: teams couldn’t face another club from their own association, and each team could be drawn against a maximum of two clubs from the same country!
The 36 teams were split into the following pots:
Pot 1
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Bayern München
- Real Madrid
- Liverpool
- Inter Milan
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
- Atlético Madrid
Pot 2
- Borussia Dortmund
- AS Roma
- Sporting CP
- Aston Villa
- FC Porto
- Manchester United
- Club Brugge
- Real Betis
- PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3
- Feyenoord
- Lille
- Bodø/Glimt
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Fenerbahçe
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Galatasaray
Pot 4
- Slavia Praha
- Slovan Bratislava
- VfB Stuttgart
- AEK Athens
- LASK
- Como
- RC Lens
- Viking FK
- Sabah FK
Now that the draw is done, we know all eight opponents for every team! Each club will play four matches at home and four away during the league phase.
AEK Athens
Home: Real Madrid, Roma, Galatasaray, LASK
Away: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk, Como
Arsenal
Home: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Sabah
Away: Bayern München, Real Betis, Napoli, Slavia Praha
Aston Villa
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, Viking
Away: Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Slavia Praha
Atlético Madrid
Home: Bayern München, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, Viking
Away: Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Bodø/Glimt, Stuttgart
Barcelona
Home: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Como
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Sabah
Bayern München
Home: Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt, Slavia Praha
Away: Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille, Viking
Bodø/Glimt
Home: Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, LASK
Away: Bayern München, Club Brugge, Napoli, Lens
Borussia Dortmund
Home: Inter Milan, Real Betis, Villarreal, AEK Athens
Away: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bodø/Glimt, Sabah
Club Brugge
Home: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bodø/Glimt, Lens
Away: Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Stuttgart
Como
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens
Away: Barcelona, Real Betis, Feyenoord, Lens
Fenerbahçe
Home: Liverpool, Roma, Villarreal, Slavia Praha
Away: Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK
Feyenoord
Home: Inter Milan, Porto, RB Leipzig, Como
Away: Barcelona, Real Betis, Galatasaray, Viking
Galatasaray
Home: Barcelona, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Stuttgart
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Lille, AEK Athens
Inter Milan
Home: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart
Away: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava
LASK
Home: Liverpool, Porto, Fenerbahçe, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Bodø/Glimt, AEK Athens
RB Leipzig
Home: Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lens
Away: Real Madrid, Manchester United, Feyenoord, Como
Lens
Home: Manchester City, Sporting CP, Bodø/Glimt, Como
Away: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Leipzig, Slavia Praha
Lille
Home: Bayern München, Real Betis, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Arsenal, Roma, Bodø/Glimt, Stuttgart
Liverpool
Home: Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, Lens
Away: Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, LASK
Manchester City
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Napoli, AEK Athens
Away: Barcelona, Porto, Leipzig, Lens
Manchester United
Home: Bayern München, Roma, Leipzig, Sabah
Away: Atlético Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal, Como
Napoli
Home: Arsenal, Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, Viking
Away: Manchester City, Porto, Villarreal, Sabah
Paris Saint-Germain
Home: Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Como
Porto
Home: Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Slavia Praha
Away: Liverpool, Real Betis, Feyenoord, LASK
PSV Eindhoven
Home: Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart
Away: Real Madrid, Porto, Leipzig, Viking
Real Betis
Home: Arsenal, Porto, Feyenoord, Como
Away: Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Slovan Bratislava
Real Madrid
Home: Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Leipzig, LASK
Away: Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, AEK Athens
Roma
Home: Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Lille, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, AEK Athens
Shakhtar Donetsk
Home: Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Fenerbahçe, AEK Athens
Away: Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava
Slavia Praha
Home: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Lens
Away: Bayern München, Porto, Fenerbahçe, Sabah
Slovan Bratislava
Home: Inter Milan, Real Betis, Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Lille, LASK
Sporting CP
Home: Barcelona, Manchester United, Galatasaray, LASK
Away: Manchester City, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lens
Stuttgart
Home: Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Lille, Viking
Away: Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava
Viking
Home: Bayern München, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Sabah
Away: Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa, Napoli, Stuttgart
Villarreal
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Napoli, Sabah
Away: Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, Slavia Praha
Sabah
Home: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Slavia Praha
Away: Arsenal, Manchester United, Villarreal, Viking
There are definitely some games that stand out from this year's draw! Arsenal will have a tough league phase after reaching the Champions League final last season, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both visiting the Emirates and Arsenal travelling to Bayern München. Real Madrid will also have some big games on their schedule. They will travel to Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk while hosting Inter Milan, giving them some tough opponents right from the beginning of the competition. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain will face each other once again, while City will also travel to Barcelona. Barcelona will have plenty of other big games to look forward to as well, including home matches against Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will face Manchester City, Barcelona, Aston Villa and Como during the league phase. Their match against Como should be an especially interesting one, as the Italian club is making its Champions League debut. Liverpool, meanwhile, will face Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe away from home, while Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens will visit Anfield. There are also a few unique away trips this season. Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and LASK will all travel to Bodø/Glimt in Norway. With Bodø/Glimt located inside the Arctic Circle, these matches could make for some very different Champions League away days!
The league phase will take place between September 2026 and January 2027. Here are all eight matchdays:
- Matchday 1: September 8–10, 2026
- Matchday 2: October 13–14, 2026
- Matchday 3: October 20–21, 2026
- Matchday 4: November 3–4, 2026
- Matchday 5: November 24–25, 2026
- Matchday 6: December 8–9, 2026
- Matchday 7: January 19–20, 2027
- Matchday 8: January 27, 2027
Once all 36 teams have played their eight matches, they will be ranked together in one league table! The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth through 24th will have another chance to advance, entering a knockout playoff in February to determine the remaining eight spots for the round of 16. For teams finishing 25th through 36th, their Champions League campaign will come to an end. From there, the competition will continue through the knockout stages before the final in June!
The 2026-27 Champions League season will finish with the final on Saturday, June 5, 2027! The final will take place at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, home of Atlético Madrid.
With 36 teams competing in the league phase, eight matches for every club and plenty of huge matchups already on the schedule, there’s a lot to look forward to in this year's Champions League. The first matches will kick off in September, so it won't be long before we finally get to see these teams go head-to-head!
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