Arsenal, who reached the European final last season, have been drawn against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League group phase. The Gunners will also take on Borussia Dortmund and Napoli as they aim to secure one of the eight automatic qualification spots for the knockout round, having entered the competition as the reigning Premier League champions and having completed the previous qualifying campaign with a flawless record.
In parallel, Manchester City and Aston Villa will each welcome the defending champions Paris Saint‑Germain to their home grounds. Villa Park’s encounter with PSG will echo the recent UEFA Super Cup showdown, a match that saw the French side emerge victorious 2‑1 in Salzburg.
Liverpool’s schedule features a trip to Italy to face Inter Milan, as well as a home clash with Atletico Madrid. Manchester United, meanwhile, will also be pitted against Simeone’s Atletico during the group stage. Below is a detailed breakdown of the group fixtures for each English club: Arsenal: Real Madrid (home), Bayern Munich (away), Borussia Dortmund (home), Real Betis (away), Lille (home), Napoli (away), Sabah (home), Slavia Prague (away) Aston Villa: Barcelona (away), PSG (home), Borussia Dortmund (home), Club Brugge (away), Fenerbahçe (home), Galatasaray (away), Viking (home), Slavia Prague (away) Liverpool: Inter Milan (away), Atletico Madrid (home), FC Porto (home), Club Brugge (away), Villarreal (home), Fenerbahçe (away), Lens (home), LASK (away) Manchester City: PSG (home), Barcelona (away), Sporting CP (home), Porto (away), Napoli (home), RB Leipzig (away), AEK Athens (home), Lens (away) Manchester United: Atletico Madrid (away), Bayern Munich (home), Roma (home), Sporting CP (away), RB Leipzig (home), Villarreal (away), Sabah (home), Como (away) The first round of group matches will be contested between 8 and 10 September, with the subsequent five rounds running through to early December. After the winter break, the league phase will resume in January, culminating with the eighth and final round on 27 January.
The eight teams that finish at the top of the group standings will progress directly to the round of 16 in March. Those finishing in positions nine through twenty‑four will enter a knockout play‑off round in February to determine the remaining eight spots in the last‑16.
Teams placed twenty‑five to thirty‑six will be eliminated from the competition. Exact dates, kick‑off times and the full match calendar are expected to be released on Saturday. Four clubs will make their debut in this edition of the Champions League: Como from Italy, coached by former England midfielder Cesc Fábregas; LASK of Austria; Viking from Norway; and Sabah of Azerbaijan, a club founded only in 2017 that has quickly risen to national prominence.
A historic first for the tournament is the presence of an African head coach at the group‑stage level. Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré, now in charge of Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava, guided his side through the qualifying play‑off round on Wednesday, marking a milestone for African representation in Europe’s premier club competition. Matchday schedule: - Matchday 1: 8‑10 September - 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 - Matchday 8: 27 January Knockout phase dates: - Play‑off round: 16/17 February and 23/24 February - Round of 16: 9/10 March and 16/17 March - Quarter‑finals: 6/7 April and 13/14 April - Semi‑finals: 27/28 April and 4/5 May - Final: 5 June 2027 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid Fans can download the Sky Sports app to follow live coverage, receive real‑time updates and access exclusive analysis throughout the competition. Additionally, a promotional "Super 6" competition offers participants a chance to win a £1 million prize, with entry available free of charge.