Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are among the Premier League teams that have learned who they will face in the 2025/26 Champions League league phase.
This year’s edition of the Champions League will feature six English teams - Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Newcastle – with several other big hitters such as current holders PSG, record winners Real Madrid and five-time champions Barcelona among the favourites to win the competition.
Like during the 2024/25 campaign, the competition begins with a 36-team league phase rather than the traditional eight groups of four teams.
Clubs that finish between first and eighth after eight league phase matches will progress automatically to the round of 16.
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Meanwhile, clubs that place between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off phase to progress to the knockout stages.
According to UEFA, finishing first or second in the league phase also brings an added benefit, as this season, the top two clubs out of the 36 will essentially be rewarded with a return leg at home in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals if they progress to those stages. Teams which finish third and fourth will be guaranteed a home return leg in just the quarter-finals.
On Thursday evening, the 36-team draw took place in Monaco, and there are several glamour ties – see full draw below.
2025/26 Champions League league phase draw:
Man City: Dortmund (h), Real Madrid (a), Leverkusen (h), Villarreal (a), Napoli (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Galatasaray (h), Monaco (a)
Liverpool: Real Madrid (h), Inter (a), Atlético (h), Frankfurt (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Qarabag (h), Galatasaray (a)
Arsenal: Bayern Munich (h), Inter (a), Atlético (h), Club Brugge (a), Olympiakos (h), Slavia Prague (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Athletic Club (a)
Newcastle: Barcelona (h), PSG (a), Benfica (h), Leverkusen (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Athletic Club (h), Union S-G (a)
Chelsea: Barcelona (h), Bayern Munich (a), Benfica (h), Atalanta (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Pafos (h), Qarabag (a)
Tottenham: Dortmund (h), PSG (a), Villarreal (h), Frankfurt (a), Slavia Prague (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Copenhagen (h), Monaco (a)
Dortmund: Inter (h), Man City (a), Villarreal (h), Juventus (a), Bodø/Glimt (h), Tottenham (a), Athletic Club (h), Copenhagen (a)
PSG: Bayern Munich (h), Barcelona (a), Atalanta (h), Leverkusen (a), Tottenham (h), Sporting (a), Newcastle (h), Athletic Club (a)
Bayern Munich: Chelsea (h), PSG (a), Club Brugge (h), Arsenal (a), Sporting (h), PSV (a), Union Saint-Gilloise (h), Pafos (a)
Barcelona: PSG (h), Chelsea (a), Frankfurt (h), Club Brugge (a), Olympiakos (h), Slavia Prague (a), Copenhagen (h), Newcastle (a)
Bayer Leverkusen: PSG (h), Man City (a), Villarreal (h), Benfica (a), PSV (h), Olympiakos (a), Newcastle (h), Copenhagen (a
Inter: Liverpool (h), Dortmund (a), Arsenal (h), Atlético (a), Slavia Prague (h), Ajax (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Union St-Gilloise (a)
Real Madrid: Man City (h), Liverpool (a), Juventus (h), Benfica (a), Marseille (h), Olympiakos (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Atalanta: Chelsea (h), PSG (a), Club Brugge (h), Frankfurt (a), Slavia Prague (h), Marseille (a), Athletic Club (h), Union S-G (a)
Club Brugge: Barcelona (h), Bayern Munich (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Marseille (h), Sporting (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Juventus: Dortmund (h), Real Madrid (a), Benfica (h), Villarreal (a), Sporting (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Pafos (h), Monaco (a)
Benfica: Real Madrid (h), Chelsea (a), Leverkusen (h), Juventus (a), Napoli (h), Ajax (a), Qarabag (h), Newcastle (a)
Atlético: Inter (h), Liverpool (a), Frankfurt (h), Arsenal (a), Bodø/Glimt (h), PSV (a), Union S-G (h), Galatasaray (a)
Frankfurt: Liverpool (h), Barcelona (a), Atalanta (h), Atlético (a), Tottenham (h), Napoli (a), Galatasaray (h), Qarabag (a)
Villarreal: Man City (h), Dortmund (a), Juventus (h), Leverkusen (a), Ajax (h), Tottenham (a), Copenhagen (h), Pafos (a)
Marseille: Liverpool (h), Real Madrid (a), Atalanta (h), Club Brugge (a), Ajax (h), Sporting (a), Newcastle (h), Union S-G (a)
Bodø/Glimt: Man City (h), Dortmund (a), Juventus (h), Atlético (a), Tottenham (h), Slavia Prague (a), Monaco (h), Galatasaray (a)
Sporting: PSG (h), Bayern Munich (a), Club Brugge (h), Juventus (a), Marseille (h), Napoli (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Athletic Club (a)
Olympiakos: Real Madrid (h), Barcelona (a), Leverkusen (h), Arsenal (a), PSV (h), Ajax (a), Pafos (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Ajax: Inter (h), Chelsea (a), Benfica (h), Villarreal (a), Olympiakos (h), Marseille (a), Galatasaray (h), Qarabag (a)
Slavia Prague: Barcelona (h), Inter (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Bodø/Glimt (h), Tottenham (a), Athletic Club (h), Pafos (a)
PSV: Bayern Munich (h), Liverpool (a), Atlético (h), Leverkusen (a), Napoli (h), Olympiakos (a), Union S-G (h), Newcastle (a)
Napoli: Chelsea (h), Man City (a), Frankfurt (h), Benfica (a), Sporting (h), PSV (a), Qarabag (h), Copenhagen (a)
Athletic Club: PSG (h), Dortmund (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Sporting (h), Slavia Prague (a), Qarabag (h), Newcastle (a)
Qarabag: Chelsea (h), Liverpool (a), Frankfurt (h), Benfica (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Copenhagen (h), Athletic Club (a)
Monaco: Man City (h), Real Madrid (a), Juventus (h), Club Brugge (a), Tottenham (h), Bodø/Glimt (a), Galatasaray (h), Pafos (a)
Galatasaray: Liverpool (h), Man City (a), Atlético (h), Frankfurt (a), Bodø/Glimt (h), Ajax (a), Union S-G (h), Monaco (a)
Union S-G: Inter (h), Bayern Munich (a), Atalanta (h), Atlético (a), Marseille (h), PSV (a), Newcastle (h), Galatasaray (a)
Pafos: Bayern Munich (h), Chelsea (a), Villarreal (h), Juventus (a), Slavia Prague (h), Olympiakos (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Kairat Almaty: Real Madrid (h), Inter (a), Club Brugge (h), Arsenal (a), Olympiakos (h), Sporting (a), Pafos (h), Copenhagen (a)
Copenhagen: Dortmund (h), Barcelona (a), Leverkusen (h), Villarreal (a), Napoli (h), Tottenham (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Qarabag (a)
2025/26 Champions League schedule:
League phase
Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025
Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025
Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025
Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025
Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025
Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026
Matchday 8: 28 January 2026
Knockout phases
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)
Topics: Champions League, Football, UEFA, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea
Luke Davies