Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal among Premier League clubs handed Champions League glamour ties in draw

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.

The Champions League trophy (Credit:Getty)

Meanwhile, clubs that place between ninth and 24^th 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)