Arsenal, last season’s runners‑up, will face strong opponents such as Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Lille in the new league phase format.
Published On 27 Aug 2026
Paris Saint‑Germain, the two‑time defending champions, have been drawn into a challenging group for this season’s Champions League league phase, which includes meetings with Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa, among eight fixtures, during Thursday’s draw.
Having retained the trophy by beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest in May, PSG will host Barcelona, Roma, Turkish champions Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia at the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique’s side will travel to England twice, facing Manchester City and Aston Villa. PSG triumphed over both clubs en route to winning their first Champions League title in 2025, and also defeated Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Austria earlier this month.
Additionally, PSG will travel to Spain to meet Villarreal and to Italy to face Como, the team managed by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas.
“I can’t say anything bad about the Champions League, but I won’t be watching the draw. I will be relaxing and going out on my bike, then we’ll take a look at the menu. But I would sign up for the same result as in the last two years,” Luis Enrique told reporters earlier Thursday.
PSG are targeting a third consecutive European crown, a feat only Real Madrid achieved between 2016 and 2018 in the past half‑century.
The opening matches of the league phase are scheduled for Tuesday, 8 September, through Thursday, 10 September, with the concluding fixtures set for late January. UEFA is due to publish the complete schedule on Saturday.
Last season’s runners‑up, Arsenal, the Premier League champions, will notably host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Lille, in addition to Sabah, the Azerbaijani club that progressed through four two‑legged qualifying ties to make its debut in the league phase.
Arsenal’s away programme includes challenging fixtures against Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague.
Fenerbahçe return, Viking debut
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield, while they will travel to face Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe and Austrian debutants LASK.
Manchester United, who were not placed in the top seed pot, will play home matches against Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah, and will also face a series of difficult away fixtures against Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como.
Other notable fixtures include Manchester City’s visit to Barcelona and Real Madrid’s home clash with Inter Milan. Last season’s Europa League champions Aston Villa will travel to Barcelona and host Borussia Dortmund, while Unai Emery’s side will also face Istanbul giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.
Fenerbahçe will appear in the Champions League proper for the first time since 2008‑09, having defeated Lyon in this week’s playoffs.
New entrants this season include Como, who have upset the traditional order in Serie A, and Sabah, while Austrian club LASK reached the league phase for the first time after a stunning comeback victory over Celtic in the playoffs.
Norwegian champions Viking from Stavanger have also reached the Champions League proper for the first time, and will face a glamour‑filled schedule that includes Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Aston Villa and Napoli.
This marks the third season of the Champions League’s new 36‑team league format, in which every club plays eight matches against different opponents. The final will be held at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on 5 June 2027.
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