The draw for the 2026-2027 Champions League league phase is complete, and the 36 qualified clubs now know the eight opponents each of them will face. Real Madrid go to the Emirates Stadium, Paris Saint-Germain visit Villa Park, and Bayern Munich are heading to Old Trafford.
England has five clubs in the competition this season, the maximum allocation, and between them they have drawn some of the most attractive fixtures of the entire campaign. Below is the full draw, what it means for each English side, and the ties worth marking down straight away.
The 36 clubs by seeding pot
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Saint-Germain | AS Roma | Galatasaray | Slovan Bratislava |
| Bayern Munich | Aston Villa | Villarreal | Como |
| Real Madrid | Borussia Dortmund | Bodø/Glimt | Slavia Praha |
| Liverpool | Sporting CP | Lille | Viking |
| Inter Milan | Real Betis | RB Leipzig | LASK |
| Manchester City | Manchester United | Shakhtar Donetsk | AEK Athens |
| Arsenal | PSV | Feyenoord | Stuttgart |
| FC Barcelona | Club Brugge | Napoli | RC Lens |
| Atletico Madrid | Porto | Fenerbahce | Sabah |
Each club plays eight different opponents, two from each pot, one at home and one away.
How the English clubs fared
Arsenal drew the most glamorous set of names in the competition. Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both come to the Emirates, with Lille and Sabah completing the home schedule, while the away trips are Bayern Munich, Napoli, Real Betis and Slavia Praha. Having Real Madrid and Dortmund at home rather than away is the significant detail here.
Manchester City face the reigning champions at home, with Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Sporting CP and AEK Athens all visiting the Etihad. Away, City go to Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig and RC Lens. The home draw is close to worst case.
Liverpool came out of it best of the five. Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and RC Lens visit Anfield, and the away schedule is Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK. No Paris Saint-Germain, no Real Madrid, no Bayern, no Barcelona.
Manchester United have Bayern Munich, AS Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah at Old Trafford, with trips to Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como. Beyond Bayern they avoided every one of the very biggest names.
Aston Villa got the hardest draw of the five. Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund come to Villa Park alongside Fenerbahce and Viking, and the away fixtures are Barcelona, Galatasaray, Club Brugge and Slavia Praha.
The standout fixtures of the league phase
Arsenal hosting Real Madrid is the pick of the English fixtures, a repeat of their meeting in the knockout rounds two seasons ago. Manchester United against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford carries more history than any other tie in the draw. Aston Villa welcoming Paris Saint-Germain will be the biggest European night Villa Park has staged in decades.
Away from the English clubs, Paris Saint-Germain host Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, Real Madrid meet Inter Milan at the Bernabeu, and Atletico Madrid host Bayern Munich at the Metropolitano.
The most unusual fixture of the whole draw belongs to Como. The newly promoted Italian side host both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United on the shore of Lake Como, at one of the smallest grounds ever to stage a match in this competition.
Who got the best and worst of it
Among the top seeds, Liverpool are the clear winners. Their schedule avoids every heavyweight from the first pot except Inter, and four of their eight fixtures are ones they will expect to win. Manchester City and Arsenal sit at the other end: both drew two clubs from the elite tier plus a Serie A side and a Portuguese quarter-finalist.
From the second pot, Aston Villa were handed the most punishing route, with the European champions and Barcelona in the same set of eight. PSV and Porto came out of it considerably more comfortably.
Spare a thought for Sabah. The Azerbaijani side, in the competition for the first time, drew Barcelona, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Napoli, Villarreal, Slavia Praha and Viking. It is the toughest schedule handed to any club in the draw.
How the league phase works
All 36 clubs sit in a single league table. Every side plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away, with two drawn from each of the four seeding pots. The top eight in the final standings qualify directly for the round of 16. The clubs finishing ninth to 24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining places, and everyone from 25th down is eliminated.
From the round of 16 onwards the competition is straight knockout football over two legs, until the one-off final. This season the showpiece is staged at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
Champions League tickets 2026-2027
With five English clubs in the draw and fixtures like Real Madrid at the Emirates, Bayern Munich at Old Trafford and Paris Saint-Germain at Villa Park, demand for tickets this season will be exceptional. Browse the available fixtures, choose your section of the ground and book your seat. Every order is backed by our 150% money back guarantee, and the season ends with the Champions League final in Madrid.
Frequently asked questions
How many English clubs are in the 2026-2027 Champions League?
Five: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa. That is the maximum allocation, earned through England's standing in the European coefficient rankings.
How many matches does each club play in the league phase?
Eight, against eight different opponents, four at home and four away. Two opponents are drawn from each of the four seeding pots.
Which English club got the hardest draw?
Aston Villa. They face Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Villa Park, and travel to Barcelona, Galatasaray, Club Brugge and Slavia Praha.
Where is the 2027 Champions League final?
At the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.