Last year’s runners-up Arsenal will take on Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League group phase, while holders PSG play both Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Liverpool take on Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, Manchester City play Barcelona, Manchester United have a tricky run of games including Bayern Munich and Roma, while Aston Villa have some blockbuster fixtures.
The Champions League continues with its league-phase format, meaning there are no traditional groups of four. Instead, each of the 36 clubs will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
Who the seeds will play
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona, Manchester City, Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava, Como
- Bayern Munich vs Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis, Manchester United, Bodo, Lille, Slavia Prague, Viking
- Real Madrid vs Inter, Arsenal, PSV, Roma. Leipzig, Shakhtar, LASK, AEK Athens
- Liverpool vs Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Club Brugge, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Lens, LASK
- Inter Milan vs Real Madrid, Liverpool, Club Brugge, Dortmund, Shakhtar, Feyenoord, Stuttgart, Slovan Bratislava
- Manchester City vs PSG, Barcelona, Sporting, Porto, Napoli, Leipzig, AEK Athens, Lens
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah, Slavia Prague
- Barcelona vs Manchester City, PSG, Aston Villa, Sporting, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Como, Sabah
- Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, PSV, Fenerbahce, Bodo, Viking, Stuttgart
Who the Premier League sides play
- Liverpool vs Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Club Brugge, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Lens, LASK
- Manchester City vs PSG, Barcelona, Sporting, Porto, Napoli, Leipzig, AEK Athens, Lens
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah, Slavia Prague
- Aston Villa vs PSG, Barcelona, Dortmund, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Viking, Slavia Prague
- Man United vs Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, Como
Champions League – Full list of qualified teams
- England (5): Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United
- Spain (5): Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Villarreal
- Germany (4): Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart
- Italy (4): Como, Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma
- France (3): Lens, Lille, Paris Saint-Germain
- Netherlands (2): Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven
- Norway (2): Bodø/Glimt, Viking FK
- Portugal (2): Porto, Sporting
- Turkey (2): Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray
- Austria: LASK
- Azerbaijan: Sabah FK
- Belgium: Club Brugge
- Czech Republic: Slavia Prague
- Greece: AEK Athens
- Slovakia: Slovan Bratislava
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League format
In a change from the group stage format conducted until 2023/24, each team now plays eight matches in the league phase, all against different opponents.
Four of those matches will be at home and four away, with the opponents determined according to four seeding pots split by rankings.
Teams will play two opponents from each of those pots – one against a team from each pot at home and one away. The results decide the overall standings in one league.
The top eight sides in the table qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to reach the last 16.
Teams finishing 25th or lower are out of Europe for the season.
English teams in the Champions League: Why are there five clubs?
Arsenal, City, United, Villa and Liverpool.qualified as the top five teams in the Premier League.
England was awarded extra positions as a result of UEFA’s co-efficient rankings, which are based on the overall performances of nations across European competition over a season.
Villa also won last season’s Europa League, which would have earned the Villans a place in the Champions League had they not qualified through their league position.
When is the Champions League final?
The final will take place on June 5 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, which has been Atletico Madrid’s home since 2017.
That could be a good omen for English teams: two Premier League sides reached the final when Atleti’s home previously hosted the showpiece in 2019, Liverpool beating Tottenham 2-0.
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