Champions League Draw 2026/27: Real Madrid Face Arsenal, Man City Take on Barcelona

The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase has produced several blockbuster fixtures, with Arsenal handed a daunting meeting with Real Madrid and Manchester City drawn against Barcelona.

The draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, August 27, with 36 clubs discovering the eight opponents they will face in the new league-phase format. Each team will play eight matches—four at home and four away.

Arsenal handed Real Madrid and Bayern Munich

Arsenal have been given one of the toughest schedules on paper.

The Gunners will welcome Real Madrid at home before travelling to face Bayern Munich. Arsenal will also meet Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah and Slavia Prague.

Arsenal's full draw

Real Madrid — Home

Bayern Munich — Away

Borussia Dortmund — Home

Real Betis — Away

Lille — Home

Napoli — Away

Sabah — Home

Slavia Prague — Away

The Real Madrid clash will be particularly significant after Arsenal's run to last season's Champions League final.

Manchester City to face Barcelona and PSG

Manchester City have also been handed a heavyweight schedule.

Pep Guardiola's side will host Paris Saint-Germain before travelling to Barcelona for another mouthwatering European encounter. City will also face Sporting CP, Porto, Napoli, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens.

Manchester City's full draw

PSG — Home

Barcelona — Away

Sporting CP — Home

Porto — Away

Napoli — Home

RB Leipzig — Away

AEK Athens — Home

Lens — Away

The trip to Barcelona is arguably one of the standout fixtures of the entire league phase.

Real Madrid's full draw

Real Madrid will face Arsenal away from home, while their other opponents include Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK and AEK Athens.

Inter Milan — Home

Arsenal — Away

PSV Eindhoven — Home

Roma — Away

RB Leipzig — Home

Shakhtar Donetsk — Away

LASK — Home

AEK Athens — Away

Barcelona's full draw

Barcelona will have a major test against Manchester City, alongside fixtures against PSG and Aston Villa.

Manchester City — Home

PSG — Away

Aston Villa — Home

Sporting CP — Away

Feyenoord — Home

Galatasaray — Away

Como — Home

Sabah — Away

Liverpool face Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan

Liverpool will face Atlético Madrid at home and travel to Inter Milan in what could be another fascinating European campaign.

Their other opponents are Porto, Club Brugge, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Lens and LASK.

Liverpool's full draw

Atlético Madrid — Home

Inter Milan — Away

Porto — Home

Club Brugge — Away

Villarreal — Home

Fenerbahçe — Away

Lens — Home

LASK — Away

Manchester United return with Bayern Munich clash

Manchester United will face Bayern Munich at home and Atlético Madrid away.

Their remaining opponents are Roma, Sporting CP, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah and Como.

Manchester United's full draw

Bayern Munich — Home

Atlético Madrid — Away

Roma

Sporting CP

RB Leipzig

Villarreal

Sabah

Como

Aston Villa handed PSG and Barcelona

Aston Villa also face a difficult route, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among their opponents.

Villa will additionally play Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Viking and Slavia Prague.

Other major fixtures

Some of the other notable pairings include:

PSG vs Barcelona

PSG vs Manchester City

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

Bayern Munich vs Manchester United

Inter Milan vs Liverpool

Atlético Madrid vs Liverpool

Manchester City vs Barcelona

Real Madrid vs Arsenal

Barcelona vs Aston Villa

Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund

The complete draw features eight matches for every club, with teams playing two opponents from each seeding pot. The top eight teams in the 36-team league table will qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams finishing 9th to 24th will enter a knockout play-off.

When will the Champions League matches begin?

The league phase is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with Matchday 1 taking place from September 8–10. The league phase will run through January 2027 before the knockout stages begin. UEFA says the exact fixture dates and kick-off times will be communicated by Saturday, August 29.

Full Champions League 2026/27 draw at a glance

Club Key opponents

Arsenal Real Madrid, Bayern, Dortmund, Napoli

Real Madrid Arsenal, Inter, PSV, RB Leipzig

Man City Barcelona, PSG, Napoli, Sporting

Barcelona Man City, PSG, Aston Villa, Sporting

Liverpool Atlético, Inter, Porto, Villarreal

Man United Bayern, Atlético, Roma, Sporting

Aston Villa PSG, Barcelona, Dortmund, Galatasaray

PSG Barcelona, Man City, Roma, Aston Villa

Bayern Munich Arsenal, Atlético, Man United, Dortmund

Atlético Madrid Bayern, Liverpool, Man United, PSV

A Champions League packed with blockbuster games

The 2026/27 draw has delivered exactly what football fans wanted: elite European clubs facing each other before the knockout rounds.

Arsenal vs Real Madrid and Manchester City vs Barcelona immediately stand out, while Liverpool's meetings with Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan and Manchester United's clash with Bayern Munich add further excitement.

With the league phase now set, attention turns to the opening fixtures and whether Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and the other European giants can secure a place in the top eight.

The road to the 2027 Champions League final has officially begun.