The UEFA Champions League draw for the 2026/27 season took place on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. All 36 clubs in the league phase now know their eight opponents, and the fixtures have produced some mouth-watering clashes including Arsenal hosting Real Madrid, Manchester City welcoming back-to-back champions PSG, and Manchester United facing Bayern Munich on their return to the competition.
Here is everything you need to know: the full draw results, all five Premier League clubs’ fixtures, the four pots, the schedule, and how the competition works this season.
When Is the UEFA Champions League Starting in 2026/27?
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase begins on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, with Matchday 1 running across September 8–10. The competition runs through to January 2027 for the league phase, with the final scheduled for Saturday, June 5, 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
The full fixture schedule including individual match dates and kick-off times will be released by UEFA no later than August 29, 2026. Key dates for the season:
- League Phase Matchday 1: September 8–10, 2026
- League Phase Matchday 2: October 13–15, 2026
- League Phase ends: January 27, 2027
- Knockout Play-offs: February 2027
- Round of 16: March 2027
- Quarter-finals: April 2027
- Semi-finals: April/May 2027
- Final: June 5, 2027 Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid
Eufa Champions League Draw 2026/27: The Four Pots
The 36 clubs were divided into four pots of nine, based on UEFA club coefficient rankings. Defending champions PSG held the top seed in Pot 1 automatically, regardless of their coefficient. Here are the four pots in full:
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Pot 2: Manchester United, Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, Sporting CP, FC Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3: Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, AEK Athens
Pot 4: Lens, Stuttgart, Viking FK, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Sabah FK, Como
Each club is drawn to face two teams from each pot one at home and one away giving every club eight league-phase opponents in total.
How Does the Champions League Format Work in 2026/27?
This is the third season under the revamped league phase format that replaced the old group stage in 2024/25. Instead of groups, all 36 clubs compete in a single league table. Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents across the phase four at home and four away, drawn from each of the four pots.
At the end of the league phase:
- The top 8 clubs qualify automatically for the Round of 16
- Clubs finishing 9th to 24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining eight spots in the last 16
- Clubs finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated from European competition
Arsenal Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
Arsenal, Premier League champions and last season’s Champions League finalists, received a brutal draw. They face Real Madrid at the Emirates and travel to Bayern Munich two clubs with 36 Champions League titles between them.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Real Madrid | Home |
| Bayern Munich | Away |
| Borussia Dortmund | Home |
| Real Betis | Away |
| Lille | Home |
| Napoli | Away |
| Sabah FK | Home |
| Slavia Prague | Away |
The standout fixture is Real Madrid vs Arsenal at the Emirates José Mourinho’s Madrid side making the trip to North London in what promises to be one of the biggest games of the entire league phase. Arsenal also face a trip to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich, making their path to the top eight one of the most demanding of all 36 clubs.
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Liverpool Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid this season due to a UEFA rule preventing the same home fixture from occurring for three consecutive seasons Liverpool beat Madrid at Anfield in each of the last two league phases. However, they do face a trip to Inter Milan and welcome Atletico Madrid to Anfield.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Inter Milan | Away |
| Atletico Madrid | Home |
| FC Porto | Home |
| Club Brugge | Away |
| Villarreal | Home |
| Fenerbahce | Away |
| Lens | Home |
| LASK | Away |
Manchester City Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
This is Manchester City’s first Champions League campaign without Pep Guardiola, who left at the end of the 2025/26 season. They drew PSG at the Etihad one of the standout fixtures of the entire draw and face a daunting trip to the Camp Nou to take on Barcelona.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Paris Saint-Germain | Home |
| Barcelona | Away |
| Sporting CP | Home |
| FC Porto | Away |
| Napoli | Home |
| RB Leipzig | Away |
| AEK Athens | Home |
| Lens | Away |
Manchester United Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
Manchester United return to the Champions League after a two-year absence and were placed in Pot 2. They face a rematch of their legendary 1999 European Cup final triumph against Bayern Munich, this time at Old Trafford. Their away trip to Atletico Madrid and home fixture against Roma also stand out.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Atletico Madrid | Away |
| Bayern Munich | Home |
| AS Roma | Home |
| Sporting CP | Away |
| RB Leipzig | Home |
| Villarreal | Away |
| Sabah FK | Home |
| Como | Away |
The Como away fixture is particularly intriguing Cesc Fàbregas’ side make their Champions League debut this season after their stunning rise through Italian football, and they face PSG, Barcelona and Manchester United all in the same campaign.
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Aston Villa Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
Aston Villa return to the Champions League as Europa League winners, having beaten their way to the trophy last season. They were placed in Pot 2 and face a tough draw, including trips to Barcelona and Galatasaray, plus home fixtures against PSG and Borussia Dortmund.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | Away |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Home |
| Borussia Dortmund | Home |
| Club Brugge | Away |
| Fenerbahce | Home |
| Galatasaray | Away |
| Viking FK | Home |
| Slavia Prague | Away |
Barcelona Champions League Fixtures 2026/27
Barcelona face two Premier League clubs at home Manchester City and Aston Villa and travel to PSG in what promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes of the league phase. Lamine Yamal and his Barça teammates will also go to Sporting CP and Galatasaray in their away fixtures.
| Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Manchester City | Home |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Away |
| Aston Villa | Home |
| Sporting CP | Away |
| Feyenoord | Home |
| Galatasaray | Away |
| Como | Home |
| Sabah FK | Away |
Key Fixtures to Watch in the 2026/27 UCL League Phase
The draw has thrown up several blockbuster clashes that football fans around the world will be circling in their diaries:
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid: The Emirates hosts José Mourinho’s Real Madrid in what could be the tie of the league phase. Arsenal were last season’s Champions League finalists; Madrid have won the competition 15 times.
- Manchester City vs PSG: City’s first UCL campaign without Guardiola begins with the reigning back-to-back champions visiting the Etihad. A statement fixture from the very first matchday.
- Barcelona vs PSG: PSG travel to the Camp Nou in a repeat of some of football’s most iconic European nights. This time it is Mbappé facing his former club from the opposing bench.
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (Away): Arsenal travel to Munich in one of the most difficult away fixtures any English club has been handed.
- Manchester United vs Bayern Munich: United’s return to the Champions League is marked by a home tie against Bayern 27 years after their legendary comeback in the 1999 final.
- Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United (Away): Michael Carrick side begin their European return with a trip to the Metropolitano to face Diego Simeone’s notoriously difficult side.
Defending Champions: Paris Saint-Germain
PSG are the reigning back-to-back Champions League winners and enter the 2026/27 season as the team to beat. A third consecutive European title would make them only the fourth club in history to win three in a row joining Real Madrid (1956–58 and 2016–18), Ajax (1971–73) and Bayern Munich (1974–76).
Their league phase schedule includes home fixtures against Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray, and Slovan Bratislava, with away trips to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, and Como. The trip to Manchester is the standout fixture in their draw.
How to Watch the Champions League 2026/27
In the UK, Champions League matches are broadcast live on TNT Sports and its streaming platform Discovery+. Sky Sports does not hold Champions League rights in the UK.
In Nigeria and Africa, the competition is broadcast on SuperSport, available via DStv and GOtv. SuperSport holds comprehensive rights to UEFA club competition matches across the continent.
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In the United States, games are available on Paramount+, CBS Sports, and TUDN. Paramount+ holds the English-language streaming rights, while TUDN covers Spanish-language audiences.
The draw itself was also broadcast live and for free on UEFA.com, UEFA.tv and the official Champions League app.
Champions League Standings and Table 2026/27
Unlike the old group stage format, all 36 clubs compete in a single unified league table. Points are accumulated across the eight league-phase matches, and the table updates in real time throughout the campaign much like a domestic league table. You can follow the live Champions League standings on the official UEFA website, the Champions League app, and on results platforms such as SofaScore, FotMob, and FlashScore throughout the season. The league phase runs from September 8, 2026 to January 27, 2027, with matchdays staggered across Tuesday and Wednesday nights with occasional Thursday fixtures.