The draw for the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league phase was held on Thursday, 28 August 2025, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, unveiling exciting fixtures under the revamped format of Europe’s premier club competition.
The new system features 36 clubs, each drawn against eight opponents—two from each of the four seeding pots. Teams will play four games at home and four away, with no club facing more than two sides from the same national association.
Pot 1 clubs included Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
Pot 2 featured Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt and Club Brugge. Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodø/Glimt and Marseille made up Pot 3.
Meanwhile, Pot 4 contained Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabağ, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos and Kairat Almaty.
Major Matchups
Liverpool will face Real Madrid at Anfield and travel to Inter Milan, Marseille and Galatasaray. Manchester City are drawn against Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli and Monaco, while Arsenal will take on Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Olympiacos and Athletic Club.
Chelsea will face Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and also meet Benfica, Ajax and Qarabağ. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, will host Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal and Copenhagen but face a tough away trip to Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle United, back in the Champions League, have a daunting task with fixtures against Barcelona, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen.
Other Key Fixtures
Real Madrid play Manchester City and Juventus at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Bayern Munich will host Chelsea and Club Brugge. Inter Milan have Liverpool and Arsenal on their schedule, and Paris Saint-Germain welcome Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Tottenham and Newcastle.
Elsewhere, Atalanta are paired with Chelsea, Marseille and Club Brugge, while Ajax face Inter Milan, Benfica and Olympiacos. Napoli meet Chelsea, Sporting CP and PSV Eindhoven.
Competition Timeline
The league phase will kick off between 16 and 18 September 2025 and run through to 28 January 2026. The top eight clubs in the standings will qualify automatically for the Round of 16, while teams finishing between 9th and 24th will contest playoff rounds to secure a knockout berth.
The season will conclude at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, where the final will be played on 30 May 2026.
