Champions League draw: Real Madrid-Arsenal, PSG-Manchester City, Bayern Munich-Manchester United among League Phase fixtures

The UEFA Champions League trophy before the draw ceremony for the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images) VALERY HACHE via Getty Images UEFA held the draw for the League Phase portion of the 2026-27 Champions League on Thursday in Monaco. The competition will kick off on Sept. 8 with Matchday 1 with 36 teams vying to be among 24 to advance to the knockout stages. There were a number of intriguing matchups to come out of the draw, which will see each team will play a total of eight matches during the League Phase — four home and four away against eight different opponents. Real Madrid will travel to London to face the reigning Premier League champions Arsenal. They will also host Inter Milan. Manchester City and back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will meet at the Etihad. Enzo Maresca’s side will also travel to Camp Nou to play Barcelona. Other matchups will see Inter Milan hosting Liverpool; Barcelona visiting PSG; Atlético Madrid welcoming Bayern Munich and Manchester United, while also traveling to face Liverpool; Bayern Munich playing Manchester United at Old Trafford; and Arsenal taking on Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. The full League Phase schedule will be announced by UEFA on Saturday, Aug. 29. Following the completion of the League Phase fixtures, teams placed 25 to 36 in the table will be eliminated. Teams in positions 9 through 24 will take part in a two-legged knockout phase playoff beginning in February. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the Round of 16 in March. From the Round of 16 through the semifinals, each knockout stage will be decided over two legs. Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid will play host to the June 5, 2027 final. PSG is the reigning back-to-back champion after defeating Arsenal following penalty kicks in June's final . Only Real Madrid from 2016-18 has claimed three titles in a row in the Champions League era. There are four newcomers to the competition this season: Como (Italy), LASK (Austria), Sabah (Azerbaijan), and Viking (Norway) will all debut during the League Phase. Here are the 36 teams that will be playing in Europe's highest competition this season: Austria : LASK Azerbaijan : Sabah FK Belgium : Club Brugge Czechia : Slavia Prague England : Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool France : Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille Germany : Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart Greece : AEK Athens Italy : Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como Netherlands : PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord Norway : Bodø/Glimt, Viking FK Portugal : Porto, Sporting CP Slovakia : ŠK Slovan Bratislava Spain : Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis Türkiye : Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe Ukraine : Shakhtar Donetsk 2026-27 Champions League schedule Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10 Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14 Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21 Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4 Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25 Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9 Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20 Matchday 8: Jan. 27 Knockout phase playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and 23-24 Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17 Quarterfinals : April 6-7 and 13-14 Semifinals : April 27-28 and May 4-5 Final: June 5 (Madrid, Spain)