Paris Saint-Germain have been handed a blockbuster Champions League league-phase schedule, with the defending champions set to face Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
PSG are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive European title, a feat last achieved by Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018.
The Champions League draw for the 2026/27 season was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, producing several heavyweight encounters involving Europe’s biggest clubs.
PSG handed star-studded Champions League schedule
The two-time reigning champions will welcome Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava to Paris during the league phase.
Luis Enrique’s side will also make two trips to England, where they will face Manchester City and Aston Villa. Both clubs are familiar opponents for PSG, having been beaten by the French side during their run to their first Champions League crown in 2025.
PSG also defeated Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Austria earlier this month.
The French champions will travel to Spain to meet Villarreal and head to Italy for an away encounter with Como, who are coached by former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Ahead of the draw, PSG manager Luis Enrique played down the significance of the ceremony.
“I can’t say anything bad about the Champions League, but I won’t be watching the draw. I will be relaxing and going out on my bike, then we’ll take a look at the menu. But I would sign up for the same result as in the last two years,” Luis Enrique told reporters earlier Thursday.
PSG will now attempt to match Real Madrid’s historic achievement of winning the European title three years in succession.
The opening matches of the league phase are scheduled for September 8-10, with the final round of league-phase fixtures expected to take place in late January. UEFA is expected to release the complete fixture calendar on Saturday.
Arsenal handed difficult Real Madrid and Bayern tests
Premier League champions Arsenal, who finished as runners-up in last season’s Champions League, also received a challenging draw.
The Gunners will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Azerbaijani side Sabah at the Emirates Stadium.
Their away schedule could prove even more demanding, with trips to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague.
Sabah have made history by reaching the league phase for the first time after progressing through four two-legged qualifying rounds.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa fixtures
Liverpool, under manager Andoni Iraola, will welcome Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens. Their away assignments include meetings with Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
Manchester United, who were not among the first-pot seeds, face a challenging campaign of their own.
United will host Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah, while their away fixtures include Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, face an exciting set of fixtures after last season’s Europa League triumph.
Unai Emery’s side will host PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Viking, while travelling to Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague.
Fenerbahce return to the Champions League proper for the first time since the 2008/09 campaign after defeating Lyon in this season’s play-offs.
More heavyweight Champions League clashes
Several other eye-catching fixtures emerged from the draw.
Manchester City will travel to Barcelona, while Real Madrid will host Inter Milan. Barcelona will also welcome Aston Villa and travel to Paris to face PSG.
Borussia Dortmund will meet Inter Milan and Arsenal at home, while also travelling to face Aston Villa and Villarreal.
The 2026/27 competition will also feature several newcomers and returning clubs.
Como have earned a place in Europe’s premier competition after disrupting the established order in Serie A, while Sabah are making their league-phase debut.
LASK also reached this stage for the first time following a remarkable comeback victory over Celtic in the qualifying play-offs.
Norwegian champions Viking have likewise made history by reaching the Champions League proper for the first time. Their league-phase opponents include Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Aston Villa and Napoli.
Champions League’s new league-phase format
The 2026/27 campaign marks the third season of the competition’s revamped format.
Instead of the traditional group stage, 36 clubs compete in one overall league table, with each team playing eight matches against eight different opponents.
The format is designed to create more high-profile matches during the league phase while giving clubs a wider range of opponents.
The Champions League season will culminate at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, which is scheduled to host the final on June 5, 2027.
Key Champions League fixtures for 2026/27
Paris Saint-Germain
- Barcelona (home)
- Manchester City (away)
- Roma (home)
- Aston Villa (away)
- Galatasaray (home)
- Villarreal (away)
- Slovan Bratislava (home)
- Como (away)
Bayern Munich
- Arsenal (home)
- Atletico Madrid (away)
- Real Betis (home)
- Manchester United (away)
- Bodo/Glimt (home)
- Lille (away)
- Slavia Prague (home)
- Viking (away)
Real Madrid
- Inter Milan (home)
- Arsenal (away)
- PSV Eindhoven (home)
- Roma (away)
- RB Leipzig (home)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (away)
- LASK (home)
- AEK Athens (away)
Liverpool
- Atletico Madrid (home)
- Inter Milan (away)
- Porto (home)
- Club Brugge (away)
- Villarreal (home)
- Fenerbahce (away)
- Lens (home)
- LASK (away)
Inter Milan
- Liverpool (home)
- Real Madrid (away)
- Club Brugge (home)
- Borussia Dortmund (away)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (home)
- Feyenoord (away)
- VfB Stuttgart (home)
- Slovan Bratislava (away)
Manchester City
- PSG (home)
- Barcelona (away)
- Sporting CP (home)
- Porto (away)
- Napoli (home)
- RB Leipzig (away)
- AEK Athens (home)
- Lens (away)
Arsenal
- Real Madrid (home)
- Bayern Munich (away)
- Borussia Dortmund (home)
- Real Betis (away)
- Lille (home)
- Napoli (away)
- Sabah (home)
- Slavia Prague (away)
Barcelona
- Manchester City (home)
- PSG (away)
- Aston Villa (home)
- Sporting CP (away)
- Feyenoord (home)
- Galatasaray (away)
- Como (home)
- Sabah (away)
Atletico Madrid
- Bayern Munich (home)
- Liverpool (away)
- Manchester United (home)
- PSV Eindhoven (away)
- Fenerbahce (home)
- Bodo/Glimt (away)
- Viking (home)
- VfB Stuttgart (away)
Borussia Dortmund
- Inter Milan (home)
- Arsenal (away)
- Real Betis (home)
- Aston Villa (away)
- Villarreal (home)
- Bodo/Glimt (away)
- AEK Athens (home)
- Sabah (away)
Aston Villa
- PSG (home)
- Barcelona (away)
- Borussia Dortmund (home)
- Club Brugge (away)
- Fenerbahce (home)
- Galatasaray (away)
- Viking (home)
- Slavia Prague (away)
Manchester United
- Bayern Munich (home)
- Atletico Madrid (away)
- Roma (home)
- Sporting CP (away)
- RB Leipzig (home)
- Villarreal (away)
- Sabah (home)
- Como (away)
