The league phase draw for the 2026/27 Champions League took place today in Nyon, with all 36 clubs learning the eight opponents standing between them and a route to next June’s final in Madrid. Here’s a clear breakdown of the standout fixtures confirmed so far.

Note: the draw was still in progress at the time of writing, so this covers the pairings confirmed up to that point. Some fixtures below are not yet split into home and away legs.

Real Madrid

José Mourinho’s side, first out of the hat from Pot 1, were handed a route that mixes two genuine heavyweights with more manageable trips further down the pots:

• Inter Milan (home)
• Arsenal (away)
• PSV Eindhoven (home)
• AS Roma (away)
• RB Leipzig (home)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (away)
• LASK Linz (home)
• AEK Athens (away)

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s side avoid an early reunion with Real Madrid but face a daunting trip to Barcelona:

• Paris Saint-Germain (home)
• Barcelona (away)
• Sporting CP (home)
• Porto (away)
• Napoli (home)
• RB Leipzig (away)
• AEK Athens (home)
• Lens (away)

Barcelona

Hansi Flick’s side will face two of the toughest sides in the draw in Manchester City and PSG:

• Manchester City
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Aston Villa
• Sporting CP
• Feyenoord
• Galatasaray
• Como
• Sabah

Paris Saint-Germain

The defending champions were handed one of the tougher-looking lists in the draw:

• Barcelona
• Manchester City
• AS Roma
• Aston Villa
• Galatasaray
• Villarreal
• Slovan Bratislava
• Como

Atlético Madrid

Diego Simeone’s side will face a heavyweight in Bayern Munich alongside two Premier League opponents:

• Bayern Munich
• Liverpool
• Manchester United
• PSV Eindhoven
• Fenerbahçe
• Bodø/Glimt
• Viking
• VfB Stuttgart

Storylines to Watch

A UEFA ruling means two fixtures that have become fixtures of recent seasons won’t happen at their usual venues: Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid at Anfield, and Inter Milan cannot host Arsenal at the San Siro, since the same fixture cannot take place at the same ground three years running. If those pairings occur again this season, they’ll instead be played at the Bernabéu and the Emirates respectively.

We’ll update this piece as the remaining pairings, including the rest of Pot 1 and 2 clubs, are confirmed.

Fancy a Punt on the League Phase?

With the fixtures now taking shape, odds on early-season Champions League outright winners and individual matchday bets are already moving. Real Madrid’s daunting double-header against Inter Milan and Arsenal looks like one of the standout markets to watch, while Barcelona’s trip to Manchester City could be worth keeping an eye on as kick-off approaches. Check the latest odds with your bookmaker of choice before markets shift closer to matchday one on September 8.

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How Does the Pot System Work in the Champions League?

All 36 clubs are split into four pots of nine, ranked by UEFA club coefficient, a measure of each side’s performance in European competition over the past five seasons. The reigning champions are automatically placed in Pot 1 regardless of their coefficient, with the remaining Pot 1 places going to the highest-ranked clubs in the competition.

During the draw, each club is pulled out one at a time and assigned two opponents from every pot, including their own, for a total of eight opponents across the whole league phase. Of those eight, four matches are played at home and four away, though the specific home or away assignment against each drawn opponent is also determined by the draw itself rather than chosen afterwards.

Two restrictions shape how the draw plays out. First, clubs from the same domestic association can never be paired against each other in the league phase, which is why Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid can only meet in the knockout rounds. Second, UEFA’s venue rule prevents the same fixture being played at the same stadium for a third consecutive season, which is why certain repeat pairings, such as Liverpool hosting Real Madrid at Anfield, are blocked this time around even if the two clubs are drawn together again.

Because the pairings and the home/away split are decided by the draw rather than a fixed schedule, no two clubs know their full run of opponents until the ceremony is complete, even though the pot structure narrows down the range of possible outcomes well in advance.

How Many Teams Advance From the League Phase?

The top eight teams in the 36-team league phase table qualify directly for the Round of 16. The clubs ranked 9th to 24th enter a two-legged playoff round for the remaining eight knockout spots, while everyone from 25th downwards is eliminated from the competition entirely.