Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have been handed challenging opponents in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase following Thursday’s draw, with several heavyweight European clashes set to headline the competition.
Arsenal, who reached last season’s Champions League final, will face defending European giants Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli among their eight opponents. Mikel Arteta’s side will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah, while travelling to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague.
The meeting with Real Madrid is expected to be one of the standout fixtures of the league phase, bringing two of Europe’s biggest clubs together.
Liverpool will also face a demanding schedule, with Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan among their toughest opponents. The Reds will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens, while travelling to Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
Manchester City have arguably drawn one of the most difficult schedules, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among their headline opponents. City will host PSG and face Barcelona away, while also playing Sporting Club, Napoli, Porto, RB Leipzig, Lens and AEK Athens.
The Barcelona fixture will also see former Manchester City midfielder Rodri face his former club after moving to the Catalan side.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will begin their title defence against Barcelona and Manchester City, while also facing Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal and Como. PSG are targeting a third consecutive Champions League title.
Barcelona will host Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como, while travelling to PSG, Sporting Club, Galatasaray and Sabah.
Real Madrid will host Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig and LASK, while their away fixtures will see them face Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens.
Atletico Madrid will host Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Fenerbahce and Viking, while travelling to Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and Stuttgart.
Inter Milan will host Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk and Stuttgart, with away fixtures against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and Slovan Bratislava.
Under the league-phase format, each of the 36 teams will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
A new UEFA rule this season also prevents clubs from hosting a team they faced at home in either of the previous two league-phase campaigns, affecting potential fixtures involving Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as Inter Milan and Arsenal.
