Liverpool, Man City draw Real Madrid as PSG face tough Champions League challenge
Liverpool and Manchester City have both been drawn against Real Madrid in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) face a challenging group of opponents, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Liverpool’s Fixtures:
Under Arne Slot, Liverpool—last season’s league-phase leaders who were eliminated by PSG in the last 16—will host Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Qarabag, and Real Madrid at Anfield. Away games include trips to Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and Galatasaray.
Manchester City’s Fixtures:
Champions League winners in 2023, City will welcome Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, and Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium. They will also travel to Real Madrid, Villarreal, Monaco, and Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt.
PSG’s Challenge:
The French champions will entertain Bayern Munich at Parc des Princes and travel to Barcelona, while also facing Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at home. Away fixtures include Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao, and Atalanta. PSG faces no easy matches in the revamped league-format, introduced last season, where all 36 teams compete in a single league table.
Format Changes:
Each team plays eight games against eight different opponents. The top eight advance directly to the last 16, teams placed 9th–24th enter knockout round play-offs, and the bottom 12 are eliminated.
Other Notable Fixtures:
Barcelona visits Chelsea and Newcastle.
Arsenal host Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid and travel to Inter Milan and Athletic Bilbao.
Kairat Almaty, making their tournament debut after eliminating Celtic on penalties, host Real Madrid and travel to Arsenal.
Cypriot minnows Pafos face Bayern at home and visit Chelsea.
UEFA has yet to announce the specific fixture dates, but the first round of matches is set for September 16–18, with the final matchday scheduled for January 28. The 2026 Champions League final will be held in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30, with kickoff at 6:00 pm local time.
