The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League group stage draw delivered interesting matchups on Thursday, with Real Madrid drawn against Premier League powerhouses Liverpool and Manchester City.
Meanwhile, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were handed a challenging array of opponents including Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
In this year’s competition, Real Madrid, guided by Xabi Alonso, will host Manchester City at their home ground while traveling to face Liverpool at Anfield, setting up two of the most anticipated encounters of the season’s early phase.
Liverpool, led by Arne Slot, topped the previous league stage but exited last season in the round of 16 against PSG. This campaign, the English side will enjoy home fixtures against Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, and Qarabag from Azerbaijan. Their travels will take them to Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and the reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray.
City, the 2023 victors, will welcome Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, the Italian champions Napoli, and Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium. Apart from their showdown with Real Madrid, they will visit Villarreal, Monaco, and Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt.
The French firmaments, PSG, have a demanding schedule featuring home matches against Bayern and encounters on the road with Barcelona. Their domestic fixtures also include Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, while they face Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, and Athletic Bilbao in away games.
This season utilizes the innovative format introduced last year, where all 36 teams are placed in a single league pool rather than divided into smaller groups. Each club plays eight matches against distinct opponents, enhancing variety and competition.
At the conclusion of the league phase, the top eight clubs proceed directly to the last 16, those ranked ninth to twenty-fourth enter knockout playoffs, while the remaining twelve teams exit the tournament.
Among other notable pairings, Barcelona will visit Chelsea and Newcastle; Arsenal will host Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, whilst traveling to Inter Milan and Athletic Bilbao.
Newcomers Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan, who ousted Celtic on penalties in the qualifiers, will entertain Real Madrid and journey to London to face Arsenal. Meanwhile, Pafos of Cyprus will visit Chelsea and host Bayern in their matches.
The initial round of the campaign’s fixtures is scheduled from September 16 to 18, with the final matchday set for January 28. The grand finale is due to take place in Budapest on May 30, kicking off earlier than usual at 6:00 PM local time, as confirmed by UEFA.
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