Paris Saint-Germain’s title defence will begin with major tests against Barcelona and Manchester City, while Real Madrid have been paired with Inter Milan and Arsenal in a Champions League league phase packed with high-profile fixtures.
Key takeaways
- PSG will welcome Barcelona and visit Manchester City during the league phase.
- Real Madrid’s programme includes meetings with Inter Milan and Arsenal.
- England and Spain lead the field with five clubs apiece.
- Manchester United are back in the competition after missing the previous two editions.
- The final will be played at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 5.
Major league-phase ties
PSG, coached by Luis Enrique, defeated Arsenal on penalties in May’s final to keep hold of the trophy. The French champions will host Barcelona before travelling to City, with Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava and Como completing their schedule.
The expanded league-phase system, first used in 2024-25, is now entering its third season.
Real Madrid will entertain Inter and make the trip to Arsenal. Their remaining opponents are PSV Eindhoven, Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK and AEK Athens.
The Inter fixture will reunite Real’s new manager Jose Mourinho with a club he previously led. Mourinho began a second spell at the Madrid side in June, having taken Inter to the Champions League crown in 2010 before moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bayern Munich, six-time European champions, have a particularly notable home assignment against Arsenal as well as away games at Atletico Madrid and Manchester United.
Liverpool, another six-time European champion, will enter the competition under new manager Andoni Iraola. Their standout opponents include Inter and Atletico.
England and Spain provide the largest national contingents, with five teams from each country.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool make up the English group. Spain’s representatives are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.
United are returning to Europe’s premier club tournament following a two-season gap. Their challenging schedule features an away meeting with Atletico and home fixtures against Bayern and Roma.
Dates, venue and other honours
The league phase gets under way on September 8. Thirty-six clubs will play across eight matchdays, with the opening stage running until January 27.
The knockout rounds begin in February, culminating in the final on June 5 at Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium. It will be the second Champions League final held at the ground, which previously witnessed Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
Atletico will host the showpiece, but their own route through the league phase looks demanding. Bayern and United are both scheduled to travel to Madrid, while Atletico must also go to Liverpool.
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was also selected for UEFA’s President’s Award.
