The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League draw, held on Thursday, have produced heavyweight fixtures on Thursday in Monaco, with Premier League clubs set for high-profile clashes against Europe’s biggest sides.
Chelsea will play against Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Benfica among their opponents, while Liverpool will battle Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid.
Tottenham Hotspur is to match against Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Villarreal. Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions, set to play against Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Leverkusen, among others.
Real Madrid, record 14-time winners, set to face Manchester City, Liverpool, and Juventus.
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UEFA confirmed that the new league phase would feature 36 teams in a single table, with each club playing eight matches—four at home and four away—against opponents from four seeded pots.
In addition, teams can not face domestic rivals or more than two sides from the same country.
UEFA scheduled the first round of matches for 16–18 September 2025, with the league phase concluding on 28 January 2026.
UEFA stated that they would send the complete fixture list with dates and kickoff times no later than Saturday, 30 August 2025.
According to UEFA, the top eight clubs in the standings would progress directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th would enter a knockout play-off round to secure a last-16 place.
UEFA fixed the knockout phase play-offs for February 2026, while the round of 16 would take place in March.
The quarter-finals comes in April, followed by the semi-finals in late April and early May. The final would be staged at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, on 30 May 2026.
