UEFA draws 2026/27 Champions League league phase with Porto and Sporting facing Man City

Draw proceedings in Monaco

UEFA held the draw for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase on Thursday at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The tournament features 36 clubs competing in a single league table, a format introduced in the 2024/25 season. Each participant plays eight matches, consisting of four home fixtures and four away fixtures, against two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots. Clubs cannot face opponents from their domestic league during this phase.

UEFA introduced a scheduling restriction this season to avoid repetitive fixtures. A club cannot play at home against an opponent it has already hosted at its stadium in the league phases of the previous two seasons. UEFA announced that the complete calendar with match dates and kickoff times will be published on Saturday. The first round of fixtures will take place across 8, 9, and 10 September 2026, with the eight-game league phase running until 27 January 2027.

Porto and Sporting secure shared opponents

Portuguese champions FC Porto return to the Champions League main stage for their 28th appearance, having missed the previous two editions following their 2023/24 campaign. Club president André Villas-Boas led the Porto delegation in Monaco. Seeded in Pot 2, the 1986/87 and 2003/04 European champions drew Manchester City, now managed by Enzo Maresca, at the Estádio do Dragão, and an away trip to Anfield against Liverpool as they seek a first competitive victory on English soil. Porto will also host PSV, Napoli, and Slavia Prague, while travelling to face Real Betis, Feyenoord, and LASK Linz.

Sporting CP entered Pot 2 for their 13th tournament appearance, marking their third consecutive participation in the main stage, an achievement the club had not reached since the Paulo Bento era. The Lisbon side reached the quarter-finals during the 2025/26 season. Under manager Rui Borges, Sporting will host FC Barcelona at the Estádio José Alvalade and travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. Both Portuguese clubs share two common opponents across their eight fixtures: Manchester City and Austrian club LASK Linz, who advanced to the phase after eliminating Celtic in the play-offs. LASK Linz will travel to Lisbon to face Sporting and host Porto in Austria.

Real Madrid schedule under Mourinho

Real Madrid, the club with the most titles in the history of the competition, will compete under manager José Mourinho in the 36-team single table. The Spanish side will host four matches, welcoming Inter Milan, PSV, RB Leipzig, and LASK Linz.

Mourinho's squad will travel for away matches against Arsenal, AS Roma, and AEK. Real Madrid are also scheduled to face Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk as part of their eight-match campaign to qualify for the knockout phase.