Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Defending Champions PSG Draw Barcelona, City and Villa
The Champions League draw decided which teams will play one another.
Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion, received a difficult set of opponents.
PSG will play Barcelona and Manchester City, along with six other clubs.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United also learned their schedules.
Some clubs, including Como, Sabah, LASK and Viking, reached this stage for the first time.
The competition now has one large league containing 36 teams.
Each club plays eight different opponents.
The league phase is scheduled to begin in September and finish with matches in late January.
The final will be held in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
Two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will face Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa among eight league-phase opponents.
PSG will host Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava, while traveling to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal and Como.
Arsenal will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah, with away matches against Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague.
Liverpool will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens, while Manchester United will host Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah.
The 36-team league phase begins from September 8 to 10, with the final scheduled for Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 5, 2027.
- Who
- Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and the other clubs in the 36-team Champions League league phase.
- What
- UEFA conducted the league-phase draw, assigning each club eight opponents.
- When
- The draw took place on Thursday; league-phase matches are scheduled for September 8-10, with the final league-phase fixtures in late January and the final on June 5, 2027.
- Where
- Matches will be played at participating clubs’ stadiums, with the final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
- Why
- The draw establishes the fixtures for the Champions League’s new 36-team league format.
- Defending champions
- Paris Saint-Germain
- PSG’s notable opponents
- Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa
- League size
- 36 teams
- Matches per team
- Eight different opponents
- League-phase opening
- September 8-10
- Final venue
- Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid
- Final date
- June 5, 2027
