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 meet Borussia Dortmund and Napoli as they chase a top‑eight finish that guarantees automatic qualification for the knockout round, having entered the competition as the previous season’s unbeaten qualifiers. In parallel, both Manchester City and Aston Villa will welcome the defending champions Paris Saint‑Germain at home.
Villa’s encounter with PSG mirrors the recent UEFA Super Cup showdown in Salzburg, where the French side edged a 2‑1 victory. Liverpool’s schedule includes a challenging away trip to Inter Milan and a home tie against Atlético Madrid, while Manchester United are also slated to face Simeone’s Atlético during the group stage.
Below is a breakdown of each English club’s group opponents: - 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), Atlético 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: Atlético Madrid (away), Bayern Munich (home), Roma (home), Sporting CP (away), RB Leipzig (home), Villarreal (away), Sabah (home), Como (away) The inaugural round of matches will be played between 8 and 10 September, with the first six matchdays running through to early December. After the winter break, the league phase resumes in January, culminating with the eighth and final round on 27 January.
The eight teams that finish highest in the final group standings will advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams placed ninth to twenty‑fourth will enter a knockout play‑off in February to determine the remaining eight slots for the round of 16, while clubs finishing twenty‑fifth to thirty‑sixth will see their European campaign end at the group stage. Exact dates, kick‑off times and the full match calendar will be released on Saturday. Four newcomers will make their debut in this edition of the Champions League: Como from Italy, coached by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas; LASK of Austria; Viking from Norway; and Sabah, the Azerbaijani champions founded only in 2017.
In addition, this season marks the first time an African coach will lead a side into the main draw, with former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré steering Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava through the qualifying play‑off on Wednesday. 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 also take part in the "Super 6" competition for a chance to win a £1 million prize, with free entry available through the official Sky Sports app.
This expanded format promises a thrilling blend of historic powerhouses and fresh entrants, ensuring plenty of drama across Europe’s premier club competition.