The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league-phase draw was held on Thursday 27 August 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. It assigned eight opponents to each of the 36 clubs in the third season of the Swiss-system format.
Paris Saint-Germain enter as back-to-back champions after beating Arsenal on penalties in the 2026 final in Budapest. They will chase a third consecutive title — a feat only Real Madrid have managed in the modern Champions League era.
The league phase works as a single 36-team table. Every club plays eight matches: two opponents from each of four seeding pots, one at home and one away. That produces 144 games across eight matchdays. The top eight after Matchday 8 go straight into the round of 16. Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter two-legged knockout play-offs in February. The rest are eliminated.
Draw rules prevented clubs from the same country meeting each other, limited any side to a maximum of two opponents from another single association, and barred the same specific home fixture from being repeated three seasons in a row.
Pots were set by UEFA club coefficients, with holders PSG seeded first in Pot 1.
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray
Pot 4: Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Stuttgart, AEK Athens, LASK, Como, Lens, Viking, Sabah
England and Spain each have five teams. Italy and Germany have four.
The draw produced several standout ties. PSG will host Barcelona and travel to Manchester City. They also face Roma at home, Aston Villa away, plus Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava and Como.
Arsenal host Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and travel to Bayern Munich and Napoli. Their remaining games are against Real Betis, Lille, Sabah and Slavia Prague.
Real Madrid, now managed by José Mourinho in his second spell at the club, host Inter Milan and PSV and travel to Arsenal and Roma. They also play RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK and AEK Athens. Mourinho therefore meets two of his former clubs.
Manchester City host PSG and Napoli and travel to Barcelona. Manchester United, back after a three-year absence, host Bayern Munich and Roma. Aston Villa, last season’s Europa League winners, host PSG and Dortmund.
Selected opponent lists
Paris Saint-Germain
Home: Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava
Away: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Como
Bayern Munich
Home: Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt, Slavia Prague
Away: Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille, Viking
Real Madrid
Home: Inter Milan, PSV, RB Leipzig, LASK
Away: Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, AEK Athens
Liverpool
Home: Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, Lens
Away: Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, LASK
Inter Milan
Home: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart
Away: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava
Manchester City
Home: PSG, Sporting CP, Napoli, AEK Athens
Away: Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig, Lens
Arsenal
Home: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Sabah
Away: Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli, Slavia Prague
Barcelona
Home: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Como
Away: PSG, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Sabah
Atlético Madrid
Home: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, Viking
Away: Liverpool, PSV, Bodø/Glimt, Stuttgart
Manchester United
Home: Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig, Sabah
Away: Atlético Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal, Como
Aston Villa
Home: PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, Viking
Away: Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague
Four clubs make their league-phase debut: Como, LASK, Sabah and Viking. Como, coached by Cesc Fàbregas, will host both PSG and Manchester United and travel to Barcelona.
Exact dates and kick-off times are due no later than Saturday 29 August. The matchday windows are:
• Matchday 1: 8–10 September 2026
• Matchday 2: 13/14 October
• Matchday 3: 20/21 October
• Matchday 4: 3/4 November
• Matchday 5: 24/25 November
• Matchday 6: 8/9 December
• Matchday 7: 19/20 January 2027
• Matchday 8: 27 January 2027 (all games on the same night)
Knockout play-offs follow in mid-February 2027. The round of 16 is in March, quarter-finals in April and semi-finals in late April and early May. The final is scheduled for Saturday 5 June 2027 at Atlético Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano.
The campaign starts in just over a week. PSG begin as favourites for a historic three-peat, but the draw has already given them two of the most demanding possible opponents. Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona and Manchester City all look well placed to challenge. For the debutants and returning Manchester United, the next five months will be a steep introduction to Europe’s most unforgiving competition.
