Arsenal were handed one of the most demanding routes in the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase, with a home meeting against Real Madrid and away trips to Bayern Munich and Napoli among their eight fixtures.
The draw in Monaco assigned every one of the 36 clubs two opponents from each seeding pot, one at home and one away. Teams do not play clubs from their own national association during the league phase, and no club was allowed more than two opponents from another single country.
Arsenal’s eight opponents
Arsenal will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Azerbaijan’s Sabah. Their away fixtures are against Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague. The schedule combines four established Champions League opponents with less familiar trips, making both squad rotation and away-form consistency important.
English clubs’ league-phase opponents
- Aston Villa: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Viking at home; Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague away.
- Liverpool: Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at home; Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK away.
- Manchester City: Paris, Sporting CP, Napoli and AEK Athens at home; Barcelona, Porto, Leipzig and Lens away.
- Manchester United: Bayern Munich, Roma, Leipzig and Sabah at home; Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como away.
Aston Villa’s draw includes trips to Barcelona and Galatasaray after qualifying as Europa League winners. Manchester City will renew a major modern rivalry with Paris at home and travel to Barcelona, while Liverpool face difficult away nights at Inter and Fenerbahce.
Other headline fixtures
Real Madrid will host Inter, PSV, Leipzig and LASK before travelling to Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens. Barcelona’s home programme includes Manchester City and Aston Villa, while Paris will welcome Barcelona, Roma and Galatasaray but travel to City and Villa.
Bayern Munich will host Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodo/Glimt and Slavia Prague. Their away list contains Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Lille and Viking. Inter will host Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar and Stuttgart, with visits to Real Madrid, Dortmund, Feyenoord and Slovan Bratislava.
When are the matches?
The league phase begins from September 8 to 10. The remaining matchdays are October 13-14, October 20-21, November 3-4, November 24-25, December 8-9, January 19-20 and January 27. Exact pairings, dates and kick-off times are due to be published separately, so supporters should wait for the final fixture calendar before booking travel.
The top eight teams in the single league table advance directly to the round of 16. Clubs finishing ninth to 24th enter knockout play-offs, while the bottom 12 are eliminated from European competition. The final is scheduled for June 5, 2027 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
