Champions League draw 2026-27: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United learn their fates

Arsenal will play record 15-time winners Real Madrid in the league phase of this season’s Champions League.

The Gunners, who are the Premier League champions, will also face German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as well as Italian outfit Napoli among their eight ties.

Arsenal will host Real, Dortmund, Lille and Sabah – the competition newcomers from Azerbaijan and travel to Munich, Napoli, Real Betis and Slavia Prague.

Manchester City have a tough set of fixtures that will see them face current holders Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona as well as the likes of Napoli – who have City icon Kevin De Bruyne in their side – and Porto.

Facing Barcelona means it will be a reunion with club legend Rodri who only left to join the Spanish giants in a £65million move last week. Enzo Maresca’s side will travel to the Nou Camp and also play Porto, Leipzig and Lens away.

Their first Champions League campaign without Pep Guardiola at the helm since 2015-16 will see them face PSG, Sporting Lisbon, Napoli and AEK Athens at home.

City’s local rivals Manchester United will face Bayern at home – in a rematch of their iconic 1999 Champions League final win – as well as Roma, Leipzig and Sabah. Atletico, Sporting, Villarreal and Cesc Fabregas’ Como are their away opponents.

Liverpool’s fate sees them host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens, while travelling to Serie A winner Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Austrian side LASK – who beat Celtic in the play-off round.

Like City, Europa League winners Aston Villa will come up against PSG and Barcelona in their eight league phase matches. They will host PSG, Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Norwegian outfit Viking; with their away games at Barca, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague.

Other interesting games in the league phase include PSG hosting Barcelona and Mourinho, newly reinstalled as Real boss, facing the side he led to Champions League glory in 2010, Inter.

The order of the fixtures is yet to be confirmed. Organisers UEFA will publish the full schedule on Saturday at the latest.