The Champions League league phase draw is set, and some massive encounters are just around the corner. All 36 teams found out their eight-game schedules that will carry into the new year as they all pursue European supremacy. Signature fixtures include Real Madrid going to Liverpool, Barcelona hosting reigning champions PSG, Manchester City welcoming Kevin de Bruyne's Napoli, Bayern Munich hosting Chelsea and more.
Elsewhere, Arsenal host Bayern and go to Inter, while Juventus take on Dortmund and Real Madrid. The official schedule for the league phase will be released by UEFA on Saturday.
As always, you can watch every minute of Champions League action all season long on Paramount+, and action will begin on Sept. 16 when the league phase kicks off. Scroll down for every fixture but before then, read on for our winners and losers from the league phase draw:
Losers: Paris Saint-Germain
Hey, on the bright side, I'm pretty certain I called PSG as losers from the last league phase draw after a pretty brutal fixture schedule. In fact I went so far as to predict they wouldn't make the knockouts and by jove did I come close to getting that right.
There's probably not much risk of the champions slipping outside the top 24 this time around, not after they so emphatically clicked at the start of 2025, but finishing below eighth and opening the door to a little more variance? That is eminently on the cards after what looks to be the toughest of the 36 fixture lists. Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Tottenham and Newcastle are a formidable foursome to rock up at the Parc des Princes, all of whom are surely going to deliver their A game against the best in the business. Add in trips to Barcelona, Leverkusen, Sporting and Athletic Club and it is hard to find an obvious banker three points on the fixture list. PSG will get plenty of points but they won't get them the easy way.
Winners: Bodo/Glimt and their fans
What do you want when you're playing in the Champions League for the first time in your history and when you can't know how often this experience will come again? You want the big teams. Bring them to the Arctic circle and give me trips to the cathedrals of football. Bodo/Glimt could hardly want for more then.
In Manchester City and Juventus, they're welcoming two heavyweights of the European stage. That the former is bringing Erling Haaland to his homeland only makes it sweeter. Monaco might just be the chance to beat a name with plenty of continental heritage ,and Tottenham? Well, that's a revenge mission for the Europa League semifinals.
As for the trips: Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Slavia Prague and Galatasaray means brilliant cities to visit, cathedrals of football on whose atmosphere fans can engorge and who knows, the chance to pick up a big win or two. What more could you want?
Losers: Real Madrid, Club Brugge and Olympiacos
If there was a fixture every team in the competition wanted to avoid, it was PSG away. After that, well it was probably Kairat Almaty. The Kazakh champions play their home games 2,000 miles from the Chinese border. That sounds a fair way until I tell you that they're more than 5,000 miles away from the Santiago Bernabeu. These are going to be arduous journeys for Real Madrid, Club Brugge and Olympiacos, at least one of whom will be making those trips in the winter months.
Kairat proved they're no pushovers by holding a good Celtic team goalless over three and a half hours of football and they will surely be up for some of the biggest games in their history. Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso and his other counterparts will have to work out how much they can afford to gamble on their travelling squad to Kazakhstan as they try to balance their commitments across multiple competitions.
Winners: North London clubs
As Kaka smashed the big Champions League logo button and the fixtures popped up on the bottom left of the screen, you kept getting the sense that yikes, these fixtures look nasty. Bayern Munich, I don't like their lot. Chelsea's games, no thank you. Even Liverpool have games you'd rather your team didn't.
Then Arsenal got their fixture list. It's not without its challenges. The San Siro was a hard place for last season's semifinalists to go and Athletic Club away is perhaps the second toughest game pot four could have delivered. Then there's the nightmarish flashbacks to the COVID-19 super spreader event that was the last time Olympiacos came to the Emirates. You would, however, take these games in a heartbeat.
As you would Tottenham's, where PSG away is the only really brutal game for Thomas Frank, who gets to go back to his homeland when Tottenham face Copenhagen. Indeed, according to CBS Sports' strength of schedule ranking, based on Opta's most recent team ranking, Tottenham have the 34th hardest fixture list in the league phase. Arsenal have the 35th. On paper, only Pafos are better off. For Arsenal, this means top eight should be the minimum target, if not top two. Tottenham would have headed into the draw wondering if they might be around the 24th place bubble. They should be well clear.
Winners: One of Bayern Munich, Villarreal and Slavia Prague
Look, we talk about European football in terms of what happens on field, but we all know what it's really about. This is about your favorite football team providing you with an (expensive) excuse for a mini break. And one of the three teams mentioned above is going to get a trip to Pafos in late September or the first day of October. Bask in the glory of the Mediterranean, whether by boat or splish-splashing in the sea. Pick at the carcasses of the Kato Archeological Park, you culture vulture, you. I have three words for you. Aphrodite. Water. Park. Presumably at some stage some football will break out.
It's one last glorious burst of summer apples before Europe hunkers down for a long winter of soggy domestic cups, shivering our way through Stoke City vs. Preston North End with a heated gilet to protect against the cold. Well, a heated gilet and memories of that trip to Paphos.
Sorry for the other two. I'm just not vibing with Cyprus in November, December or January quite as much. Could be worse though.
Loser: Me
Why does this guy know so much about Paphos, you ask? What's his agenda? Well spotted, there is an agenda. I wanted the water park, the ruins, the chance to see how David Luiz's hair holds up in that humidity. All I needed was Zlatan Ibrahimovic to do me a solid so that I could convince the powers that be at CBS that we needed nothing more than our London-based Premier League writer on the ground in Cyprus. Thanks for nothing, Ibra.
Confirmed fixtures for pot one teams
Bayern Munich: Chelsea, (h) PSG (a), Club Brugge (h), Arsenal (a), Sporting (h), PSV (a), Union SG (h), Pafos (a)
Chelsea: Bayern Munich (a), Barcelona (h), Benfica (h), Atalanta (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Pafos (h), Qarabag (a)
Real Madrid: Manchester City (h), Liverpool (a), Juventus (h), Benfica (a), Marseille (h), Olympiacos (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Inter: Liverpool (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Arsenal (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Slavia Prague (h), Ajax (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Union SG (a)
Borussia Dortmund: Inter (h), Manchester City (a), Villarreal (h), Juventus (a), Bodo/Glimt (h), Tottenham (a), Athletic Club (h), Copenhagen (a)
Liverpool: Real Madrid (h), Inter (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Frankfurt (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Qarabag (h), Galatasaray (a)
Barcelona: Chelsea (a), PSG (h), Frankfurt (h), Club Brugge (a), Olympiacos (h), Slavia Prague (a), Copenhagen (h), Newcastle (a)
PSG: Bayern Munich (h), Barcelona (a), Atalanta (h), Bayer Leverkusen (a), Tottenham (h), Sporting (a), Newcastle (h), Athletic Club (a)
Manchester City: Borussia Dortmund (h), Real Madrid (a), Bayer Leverkusen (h), Villarreal (a), Napoli (h), Bodo/Glimt (a), Galatasaray (h), Monaco (a)
Confirmed fixtures for pot two teams
Bayer Leverkusen: PSG (h), Manchester City (a), Villarreal (h), Benfica (a), PSV (h), Olympiacos (a), Newcastle (h), Copenhagen (a)
Arsenal: Bayern Munich (h), Inter (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Club Brugge (a), Olympiacos (h), Slavia Prague (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Athletic Club (a)
Atalanta: Chelsea (h), PSG (a), Club Brugge (h), Frankfurt (a), Slavia Prague (h), Marseille (a), Athletic Club (h), Union SG (a)
Benfica: Real Madrid (h), Chelsea (a), Leverkusen (h), Juventus (a), Napoli (h), Ajax (a), Qararbag (h), Newcastle (a)
Club Brugge: Barcelona (h), Bayern Munich (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Marseille (h), Sporting (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Eintracht Frankfurt: Liverpool (h), Barcelona (a), Atalanta (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Tottenham (h), Napoli (a), Galatasaray (h), Qarabag (a)
Juventus: Borussia Dortmund (h), Real Madrid (a), Benfica (h), Villarreal (a), Sporting (h), Bodo/Glimt (a), Pafos (h), Monaco (a)
Atletico Madrid: Inter (h), Liverpool (a), Frankfurt (h), Arsenal (a), Bodo/Glimt (h), PSV (a), Union SG (h), Galatasaray (a)
Villarreal: Manchester City (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Juventus (h), Leverkusen (a), Ajax (h), Tottenham (a), Copenhagen (h), Pafos (a)
Confirmed fixtures for pot three teams
Marseille: Liverpool (h), Real Madrid (a), Atalanta (h), Club Brugge (a), Ajax (h), Sporting (a), Newcastle (h), Union SG (a)
Tottenham: Borussia Dortmund (h), PSG (a), Villarreal (h), Eintracht Frankfurt (a), Slavia Prague (h), Bodo/Glimt (a), Copenhagen (h), Monaco (a)
Bodo/Glimt: Manchester City (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Juventus (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Tottenham (h), Slavia Prague (a), Monaco (h), Galatasaray (a)
Sporting: PSG (h), Bayern Munich (a), Club Brugge (h), Juventus (a), Marseille (h), Napoli (a), Kairat Almaty (h), Athletic Club (a)
Olympiacos: Real Madrid (h), Barcelona (a), Leverkusen (h), Arsenal (a), PSV (h), Ajax (a), Pafos (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Ajax: Inter (h), Chelsea (a), Benfica (h), Villarreal (a), Olympiacos (h), Marseille (a), Galatasaray (h), Qarabag (a)
Slavia Prague: Barcelona (h), Inter (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Bodo/Glimt (h), Tottenham (a), Athletic Club (h), Pafos (a)
PSV: Bayern Munich (h), Liverpool (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Leverkusen (a), Napoli (h), Olympiacos (a), Union SG (h), Newcastle (a)
Napoli: Chelsea (h), Manchester City (a), Frankfurt (h), Benfica (a), Sporting (h), PSV (a), Qarabag (h), Copenhagen (a)
Confirmed fixtures for pot four teams
Athletic Club: PSG (h), Dortmund (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Sporting (h), Slavia Prague (a), Qarabag (h), Newcastle (a)
Qarabag: Chelsea (h), Liverpool (a), Frankfurt (h), Benfica (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Copenhagen (h), Athletic Club (a)
Monaco: Manchester City (h), Real Madrid (a), Juventus (h), Club Brugge (a), Tottenham (h), Bodo/Glmit (a), Galatasaray (h), Pafos (a)
Galatasaray: Liverpool (h), Manchester City (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Frankfurt (a), Bodo/Glimt (h), Ajax (a), Union SG (h), Monaco (a)
Union SG: Inter (h), Bayern Munich (a), Atalanta (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Marseille (h), PSV (a), Newcastle (h), Galatasaray (a)
Qarabag: Chelsea (h), Liverpool (a), Frankfurt (h), Benfica (a), Ajax (h), Napoli (a), Copenhagen (h), Athletic Club (a)
Athletic Club: PSG (h), Borussia Dortmund (a), Arsenal (h), Atalanta (a), Sporting (h), Slavia Prague (a), Qarabag (h), Newcastle (a)
Newcastle: Barcelona (H), PSG (a), Benfica (h), Leverkusen (a), PSV (h), Marseille (a), Athletic Club (h), Union SG (a)
Pafos: Bayern Munich (h), Chelsea (a), Villarreal (h), Juventus (a), Slavia Prague (h), Olympiacos (a), Monaco (h), Kairat Almaty (a)
Kairat Almaty: Real Madrid (h), Inter (a), Club Brugge (h), Arsenal (a), Olympiacos (h), Sporting (a), Pafos (h), Copenhagen (a)
League phase schedule
- Matchday 1: Sept. 16-18
- Matchday 2: Sept. 30-Oct. 1
- Matchday 3: Oct. 21-22
- Matchday 4: Nov. 4-5
- Matchday 5: Nov. 25-26
- Matchday 6: Dec. 9-10
- Matchday 7: Jan. 20-21, 2026
- Matchday 8: Jan. 28, 2026
