The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league-phase draw has produced several blockbuster fixtures, with Arsenal set to face Real Madrid and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain drawn against Barcelona.
The draw was conducted in Monaco on Thursday, August 27, with all 36 clubs discovering their eight opponents for the league phase.
Arsenal will have a particularly demanding campaign, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among their opponents. The Gunners will host Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, while their away fixtures include trips to Bayern Munich and Napoli.
Arsenal’s complete league-phase schedule also includes home matches against Lille and Sabah, as well as away games against Real Betis and Slavia Prague.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will host Inter Milan, PSV, RB Leipzig and LASK at home. The Spanish giants will travel to face Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens.
Barcelona face PSG and Manchester City
Barcelona were handed another difficult Champions League draw, with the Spanish champions set to face defending champions PSG and Manchester City.
Barcelona will host Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como, while their away fixtures will be against PSG, Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah.
PSG, who retained the Champions League title last season, will also face Manchester City and Aston Villa in addition to Barcelona.
The French champions will host Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava, while their away matches will be against Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal and Como.
Manchester City face Barcelona and PSG
Manchester City also received one of the toughest draws in the 2026/27 Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side will host PSG, Sporting CP, Napoli and AEK Athens, while travelling to face Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig and Lens.
The City-Barcelona and City-PSG fixtures are among the standout encounters of the league phase.
Liverpool face Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan
Liverpool will face Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan in the league phase.
The Reds will play Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at home, while their away matches are against Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
Manchester United return with difficult fixtures
Manchester United will face Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid as part of their return to the Champions League.
The Red Devils will host Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah, while their away fixtures are against Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como.
Aston Villa handed tough assignment
Aston Villa will also have a challenging league phase, facing both PSG and Barcelona.
Villa’s home opponents are PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Viking, while they will travel to Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague.
How the Champions League league phase works
The 2026/27 Champions League features 36 teams in the league phase. Each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
Teams are drawn from four pots, with each club facing two opponents from each pot.
The top eight teams in the league-phase table will qualify automatically for the round of 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 24th will enter the knockout play-offs for the remaining eight round-of-16 places.
The league phase begins between September 8 and 10, 2026, and concludes on January 27, 2027.
The knockout play-offs will take place in February, followed by the round of 16 in March, the quarter-finals in April and the semi-finals in April and May.
The 2027 Champions League final is scheduled for June 5 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.
2026/27 Champions League Draw: Key Fixtures
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
- Barcelona vs PSG
- Barcelona vs Manchester City
- PSG vs Manchester City
- Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid
- Liverpool vs Inter Milan
- Manchester United vs Bayern Munich
- Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid
- Aston Villa vs PSG
- Aston Villa vs Barcelona
The Champions League draw has therefore set up a league phase packed with high-profile encounters, with several European heavyweights facing each other before the knockout rounds even begin.
