UEFA Champions League draw pairs PSG with Barcelona and Manchester City in 36-team league phase
The draw for the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League league phase took place in Monaco, establishing eight opponents for each of the 36 clubs ahead of the fixture schedule release on 29 August.
Monaco draw sets European fixtures
The draw for the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League league phase took place on Thursday, 27 August, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Former footballers Thierry Henry and David Villa assisted in conducting the draw alongside automated software provided by UEFA. The competition features 36 clubs competing in a unified league table, with each team scheduled to play eight matches against eight different opponents, comprising four home games and four away games. Each club drew two opponents from each of the four seeding pots. UEFA announced that the complete calendar for all 144 league phase fixtures, specifying exact dates and kickoff times, will be published no later than Saturday, 29 August.
- League phase draw conducted at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco
- UEFA publishes dates and kickoff times for all 144 fixtures
- League phase concludes after eight rounds of fixtures
Path for defending champion Paris Saint-Germain
Two-time defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, coached by Luis Enrique, enters the tournament seeking a third consecutive title. The French champions will host FC Barcelona at home, renewing a fixture from last season and featuring new signing Ferran Torres against his former club. Paris Saint-Germain will also travel to England to face Manchester City in City's first European campaign without manager Pep Guardiola in ten years. The French club was also drawn against AS Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, and Villarreal. In the lower seeding tiers, Paris Saint-Germain will play Slovan Bratislava, managed by Yaya Touré, as well as Italian side Como 1907, coached by Cesc Fàbregas.
Opponents for French entrants Lens and Lille
Two other French clubs learned their eight-match schedules. RC Lens, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season and entered from pot 4 after a three-year tournament absence, will host Manchester City and travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. The club from northern France also faces away matches against Club Brugge, RB Leipzig, and Slavia Prague, alongside home fixtures against Sporting CP, Bodø/Glimt, and Como. Lille OSC, which qualified directly through a third-place domestic finish and sat in pot 3, will host Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Galatasaray, and Slovan Bratislava. Under coach Davide Ancelotti, Lille will travel to London to face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, with additional away trips to AS Roma, Bodø/Glimt, and VfB Stuttgart.
Marquee matchups across the 36-team league
High-profile fixtures emerged across the continent for the remaining top-tier clubs. Real Madrid drew a schedule that includes Inter Milan, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, AS Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, and AEK Athens. Arsenal will face both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as Borussia Dortmund and Lille. Inter Milan meets Liverpool, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Club Brugge. Bayern Munich was drawn against Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis, and Manchester United. The eight rounds of the league phase will conclude in late January 2027. Under the tournament structure, the top eight clubs in the single table qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams ranked 12th to 24th enter playoff matches, and the bottom 12 teams face elimination.
