The 2026/27 Champions League is set for another blockbuster campaign, with Arsenal handed two of the competition's biggest names and Manchester City and Aston Villa both drawn against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The league phase begins on September 8, with 36 teams competing across eight matchdays before the knockout rounds begin in February.

Arsenal face Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Liverpool have a trip to Inter Milan and Manchester United will meet Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Manchester City and Aston Villa will both welcome PSG, setting up two of the most intriguing fixtures of the league phase.

The Champions League fixture map

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026/27 | +----------------+----------------+ | | | ARSENAL LIVERPOOL MAN UTD | | | Real Madrid Inter Milan Atlético Bayern Munich Atlético Bayern Munich | MAN CITY ASTON VILLA | | PSG + Barça PSG + Barça

With eight fixtures against eight different opponents, every match can have a major impact on the final league-phase standings.

Arsenal's Champions League fixtures

Arsenal have arguably been handed one of the most demanding schedules among the Premier League representatives.

Mikel Arteta's side will face Napoli, Lille, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Real Betis and Sabah.

The headline fixtures are undoubtedly the meetings with Bayern and Real Madrid, giving Arsenal two major tests against European heavyweights.

DateFixtureTimeSeptember 9Napoli (A)20:00October 13Lille (H)20:00October 21Bayern Munich (A)20:00November 4Slavia Prague (A)20:00November 24Borussia Dortmund (H)20:00December 9Real Madrid (H)20:00January 20Real Betis (A)20:00January 27Sabah (H)20:00

The Real Madrid home fixture on December 9 could be one of the standout nights of Arsenal's European campaign.

Manchester United's Champions League fixtures

Manchester United begin their league-phase campaign at home against Sabah before facing Atlético Madrid away.

Their schedule also includes Como, Roma, Sporting CP, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Villarreal.

DateFixtureTimeSeptember 10Sabah (H)20:00October 13Atlético Madrid (A)20:00October 21Como (A)17:45November 3Roma (H)20:00November 25Sporting CP (A)20:00December 8RB Leipzig (H)20:00January 20Bayern Munich (H)20:00January 27Villarreal (A)20:00

The biggest test comes on January 20, when Bayern Munich travel to Old Trafford.

United will also have to negotiate a difficult away trip to Atlético in October.

Manchester City's Champions League fixtures

Manchester City start their campaign away against Porto before hosting PSG in what immediately becomes one of the league phase's marquee games.

Pep Guardiola's side will also play AEK Athens, RB Leipzig, Napoli, Barcelona, Lens and Sporting CP.

DateFixtureTimeSeptember 8Porto (A)20:00October 14PSG (H)20:00October 20AEK Athens (H)20:00November 4RB Leipzig (A)20:00November 24Napoli (H)20:00December 8Barcelona (A)20:00January 20Lens (A)20:00January 27Sporting CP (H)20:00

The trip to Barcelona on December 8 is another major fixture, while the PSG visit to Manchester arrives much earlier in the campaign.

Liverpool's Champions League fixtures

Liverpool's schedule contains an especially interesting away assignment against Inter Milan, while Atlético Madrid visit Anfield on matchday one.

Arne Slot's team will also face LASK, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge, Porto and Lens.

DateFixtureTimeSeptember 9Atlético Madrid (H)20:00October 14LASK (A)17:45October 20Villarreal (H)20:00November 4Fenerbahce (A)17:45November 25Club Brugge (A)20:00December 9Porto (H)20:00January 19Inter Milan (A)20:00January 27Lens (H)20:00

The trip to Inter on January 19 will be Liverpool's toughest assignment on paper, while the Atlético opener provides an immediate test.

Aston Villa's Champions League fixtures

Aston Villa also face a demanding European campaign, beginning away at Club Brugge.

Unai Emery's side will play Fenerbahce, Viking, Barcelona, Galatasaray, PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Prague.

DateFixtureTimeSeptember 8Club Brugge (A)17:45October 14Fenerbahce (H)20:00October 21Viking (H)20:00November 3Barcelona (A)20:00November 24Galatasaray (A)17:45December 8PSG (H)20:00January 19Borussia Dortmund (H)20:00January 27Slavia Prague (A)20:00

Villa's meeting with PSG at Villa Park is particularly intriguing after the French champions defeated them 2-1 in the recent Super Cup in Salzburg.

Full Champions League league-phase schedule

The competition is spread across eight matchdays:

  • Matchday 1: September 8-10

  • Matchday 2: October 13-14

  • Matchday 3: October 20-21

  • Matchday 4: November 3-4

  • Matchday 5: November 24-25

  • Matchday 6: December 8-9

  • Matchday 7: January 19-20

  • Matchday 8: January 27

The league phase features 36 teams, with every club playing eight different opponents — four at home and four away.

How does Champions League qualification work?

The new format means finishing position is more important than ever.

The top eight teams in the league-phase table automatically qualify for the round of 16.

Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter the knockout-phase play-offs. The sides finishing 9th to 16th are seeded and will face teams finishing 17th to 24th, with the seeded teams playing the second leg at home.

Meanwhile, teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition. There is no drop into the Europa League.

That creates a significant incentive to collect points throughout the eight-match league phase rather than relying on a late surge.

Champions League knockout-stage dates

Once the league phase is complete, the competition moves into its decisive stages.

RoundDatesKnockout play-offsFebruary 16/17 & 23/24Round of 16March 9/10 & 16/17Quarter-finalsApril 6/7 & 13/14Semi-finalsApril 27/28 & May 4/5FinalJune 5, 2027

The 2027 Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5.

Which Premier League club has the toughest draw?

On paper, Arsenal's schedule stands out because of the combination of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Manchester City also have a heavyweight pairing in PSG and Barcelona, while Aston Villa face PSG and Barcelona alongside difficult away trips to Galatasaray and Club Brugge.

Liverpool's schedule looks somewhat more balanced, although Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan provide two major tests.

For Manchester United, the Atlético Madrid away fixture and Bayern Munich at Old Trafford headline a schedule that also contains Roma, Sporting CP and RB Leipzig.

With only eight league-phase matches and no Europa League safety net for teams finishing 25th or lower, every point could prove decisive when the table is finally calculated in January.