Updated: Aug 28, 2026, 04:29 IST

FILE – The trophy is placed on display for the photographers before the soccer Champions League draw in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)

The Champions League has its 36-team field, its four seeding pots and, following Thursday’s draw in Monaco, a complete set of league-phase opponents. This season’s draw has produced several heavyweight meetings, including Arsenal hosting Real Madrid and travelling to Bayern Munich, Liverpool welcoming Atlético Madrid before heading to Inter Milan, and Manchester City being paired with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.Manchester United’s return to Europe’s elite also brings a blockbuster reunion with Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, while Aston Villa have been handed a particularly glamorous reward for winning the Europa League. With every team facing eight different opponents, here is how the new Champions League campaign has been put together.

How the Champions League league phase works

The 36 clubs are divided into four pots according to their UEFA coefficient rankings and results in European competition over the previous five years.Each club is then drawn against two teams from each pot, giving every side eight league-phase matches in total.The schedule is split evenly between home and away fixtures, so every club will play four matches at home and four away. Across the entire league phase, that produces 144 matches.The format also determines what happens after those eight games. The top eight teams in the standings advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing from ninth through 24th enter the knockout-phase play-offs. The remaining sides are eliminated.There are also important restrictions on the draw. The five Premier League clubs cannot be drawn against one another during the league phase, while UEFA has introduced a further condition preventing the same fixture from being repeated with the same home team for three consecutive seasons.That means Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid again, while Inter Milan cannot host Arsenal again, after those fixtures were played with the same home teams in the previous two seasons.

Four pots packed with Europe’s biggest clubs for the 2026-27 Champions League season/ UEFA

Pot 1: The European heavyweights

The first pot contains the defending champions and some of the biggest names in European football, giving the teams drawn from the lower pots the possibility of facing some formidable opposition.

Paris Saint-Germain enter as the two-time defending European champions, having beaten Arsenal in last season’s final.

Pot 2: United return alongside European heavyweights

Manchester United are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence and will be drawn from the second pot.

Aston Villa also enter this group after winning the Europa League, while Dortmund and Porto bring their own European pedigree.

Pot 3: A dangerous middle ground

Pot 3 contains several clubs capable of making life difficult for the competition’s traditional giants.

Bodø/Glimt will be particularly familiar to viewers who followed last season’s competition. The Norwegian club became one of the stories of the tournament after beating Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan during a remarkable run before reaching the round of 16.Fenerbahçe also return to the competition proper after beating Lyon 3-2 on aggregate in qualifying, their first appearance in the main tournament since 2008-09.

Pot 4: The newcomers and potential surprises

Pot 4 completes the field, with several clubs making their debut in the competition proper.

Viking reached the league phase after beating Dinamo Zagreb 5-3 on aggregate, while Sabah, LASK and Como are also entering the competition proper for the first time. Como will be coached by former Champions League runner-up Cesc Fàbregas.

The five Premier League clubs

The English clubs have been handed a mixture of blockbuster ties and potentially awkward away trips, although none can face another Premier League side in this phase.

Arsenal

Last season’s runners-up have arguably been handed one of the most eye-catching schedules in the competition.Arsenal will host Real Madrid in a heavyweight encounter and travel to Bayern Munich, while also facing Borussia Dortmund at home and Real Betis away.Their full schedule is:

Liverpool

Liverpool will welcome Atlético Madrid to Anfield before travelling to face Inter Milan at San Siro.The Reds’ eight opponents are:

The Inter fixture also gives Curtis Jones an immediate reunion with his former club following his reported €30 million ($35.1 million) move to the Italian side.Liverpool’s draw also means there will be no repeat of their previous home meetings with Real Madrid.

Manchester City

Manchester City face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain at home and travel to Barcelona, giving them two of the biggest possible fixtures in the league phase.Their complete schedule is:

City only scraped through the league phase last season, so they will face another demanding campaign against a mixture of established European sides and potentially tricky opponents from the lower pots.

Manchester United

United’s return to the Champions League begins with a huge fixture at Old Trafford against Bayern Munich, a repeat of one of European football’s most famous final matchups.Michael Carrick’s side will also travel to Atlético Madrid and host Roma.Their eight fixtures are:

Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s reward for winning the Europa League is a league-phase schedule featuring Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.Unai Emery’s side will host PSG and Dortmund, while travelling to Barcelona and Club Brugge.Their fixtures are:

The rest of the league phase

With 36 teams and eight opponents apiece, there is plenty more beyond the English clubs. Here is the complete draw, with home and away venues included.

Real Madrid

Inter Milan

Barcelona

Atlético Madrid

Paris Saint-Germain

Bayern Munich

Borussia Dortmund

Porto

Real Betis

Roma

Sporting CP

PSV Eindhoven

Shakhtar Donetsk

Villarreal

Bodø/Glimt

RB Leipzig

Fenerbahçe

Feyenoord

Galatasaray

Napoli

Lille

Slavia Prague

Stuttgart

Sabah

AEK Athens

Lens

Como

Viking