European champions Paris St-Germain (PSG) have drawn Premier League teams Manchester City and Aston Villa, along with five-time winners Barcelona, in the league phase of this season's Champions League. PSG will host Barcelona at Parc des Princes and will visit both Villa Park and the Etihad Stadium.

Read More

Arsenal, the Premier League champions, will welcome 15-time winners Real Madrid to Emirates Stadium and will also face Bayern Munich away. Mikel Arteta's squad, who lost to PSG in last season's final via penalties, will compete against Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah, and Slavia Prague.

Manchester City, managed by Enzo Maresca, will host PSG at Etihad Stadium and visit Barcelona, where they will reunite with Spanish World Cup winner Rodri, who transferred to Barcelona this summer for £65 million. City’s fixtures also include games against Napoli and former midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, as well as Sporting, Porto, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens, and Lens.

Aston Villa, recently returning to the Europa League, will encounter PSG and Dortmund at home, and will take trips to Barcelona and Galatasaray. Unai Emery's team will also face Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Viking, and Slavia Prague.

Manchester United will return after a two-year absence, meeting Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, and Como.

Liverpool will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, and Lens while traveling to Inter Milan, Brugge, Fenerbahce, and LASK.

The first league-phase matches are scheduled for September 8, with the final round taking place on January 27, 2027; the exact match schedule will be released on Saturday. This season’s final is set for June 5 in Madrid.

Each of the 36 teams will compete against eight different teams—four at home and four away. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the last 16, while teams finishing 9th to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout playoff for a spot in the next round. Teams placing 25th or below will be eliminated and will not enter the Europa League.

Last season, Arsenal, the runners-up, led the league phase standings with 24 points from eight wins. Liverpool came third with 18 points, while Tottenham finished just behind. Chelsea and Manchester City also secured direct spots in the last 16. Newcastle finished 12th, with Chelsea, Manchester City, and Spurs exiting in the last 16. Liverpool was defeated by PSG in the quarter-finals, while PSG edged out Arsenal to win their second consecutive title.