Since Thursday evening, all 36 Champions League participants know who they will face in the league phase. Each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, four at home and four away. UEFA will publish the exact order and dates by Saturday at the latest. Matchday one will take place between 8 and 10 September, with the final round scheduled for 27 January 2027.
LASK handed Liverpool and Real Madrid
LASK’s historic first appearance in the Champions League league phase could hardly have produced a more spectacular draw. After their sensational victory over Celtic, the Linz side will host Liverpool FC and travel to face Real Madrid.
The trip to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is likely to be one of the biggest matches in the club’s history. At the same time, the Oberösterreich Arena can look forward to welcoming one of English football’s most famous clubs. LASK’s two opponents from Pot 2 are also major names: FC Porto will visit Linz, while Dietmar Kühbauer’s team must travel to Sporting Lisbon.
Pot 3 brought another heavyweight in Fenerbahçe, who will play in Linz. A trip to Bodø/Glimt may look less glamorous on paper, but it is certainly no easier from a sporting perspective: the Norwegian side eliminated NEC Nijmegen 6-1 on aggregate in the play-offs.
For LASK, the two fixtures from Pot 4 could prove particularly important. Slovan Bratislava travel to Linz, while LASK will face AEK Athens away. Those games, along with the home meetings against Fenerbahçe and Porto, are likely to be where the Austrian champions look for the points required to finish inside the top 24.
LASK’s eight fixtures:
- LASK – Liverpool FC
- Real Madrid – LASK
- LASK – FC Porto
- Sporting Lisbon – LASK
- LASK – Fenerbahçe
- Bodø/Glimt – LASK
- LASK – Slovan Bratislava
- AEK Athens – LASK
Bayern face several difficult away trips
FC Bayern enter the competition with the highest UEFA club coefficient of all 36 participants and will be aiming to challenge at the very top again after reaching last season’s semi-finals. The draw gives them a good opportunity to finish inside the top eight, although several demanding away fixtures await.
English champions and last season’s Champions League finalists Arsenal FC will travel to Munich, while Bayern must visit Atlético Madrid. Vincent Kompany’s side will also head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, while Real Betis come to Munich.
The draw became considerably more favourable in the lower pots. Bodø/Glimt and Slavia Prague will visit the Allianz Arena, while Bayern travel to LOSC Lille and Norwegian champions Viking. Six points will be firmly expected from the two Pot 4 fixtures, although trips to Madrid, Manchester and Lille could prove challenging.
Bayern’s eight fixtures:
- FC Bayern – Arsenal FC
- Atlético Madrid – FC Bayern
- FC Bayern – Real Betis
- Manchester United – FC Bayern
- FC Bayern – Bodø/Glimt
- LOSC Lille – FC Bayern
- FC Bayern – Slavia Prague
- Viking – FC Bayern
Dortmund travel to England twice
Borussia Dortmund were also handed an intriguing mix of opponents. BVB will host Inter Milan, bringing the Italian champions to Signal Iduna Park, while an away trip to Arsenal awaits from Pot 1.
The Pot 2 fixtures are also demanding. Real Betis travel to Dortmund, while the German runners-up must visit Europa League winners Aston Villa. Villarreal will also come to Dortmund.
The schedule becomes slightly more exotic with Bodø/Glimt and Sabah FK. Dortmund will play both fixtures away from home, meaning long trips to northern Norway and Azerbaijan as well as difficult sporting assignments. AEK Athens, meanwhile, will travel to Dortmund.
Overall, the draw is far from easy, but it still contains enough fixtures in which BVB should enter as clear favourites.
Dortmund’s eight fixtures:
- Borussia Dortmund – Inter Milan
- Arsenal FC – Borussia Dortmund
- Borussia Dortmund – Real Betis
- Aston Villa – Borussia Dortmund
- Borussia Dortmund – Villarreal
- Bodø/Glimt – Borussia Dortmund
- Borussia Dortmund – AEK Athens
- Sabah FK – Borussia Dortmund
Leipzig draw Real Madrid and Manchester City
RB Leipzig will face two of European football’s biggest names on their return to the Champions League. Manchester City will travel to Saxony, while Martín Demichelis’ side must visit Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
Pot 2 did not make things much easier. PSV Eindhoven come to Leipzig, while Manchester United await at Old Trafford. The remainder of the schedule, however, looks considerably more manageable.
Shakhtar Donetsk and RC Lens will visit the Red Bull Arena, while Leipzig travel to Feyenoord Rotterdam and Champions League debutants Como 1907. Much will depend on how consistently Leipzig collect points from those four fixtures.
The meeting with Real Madrid will also provide several reunions. Among others, former Leipzig players Ibrahima Konaté and Yan Diomande are now part of the Spanish giants’ squad.
Leipzig’s eight fixtures:
- RB Leipzig – Manchester City
- Real Madrid – RB Leipzig
- RB Leipzig – PSV Eindhoven
- Manchester United – RB Leipzig
- RB Leipzig – Shakhtar Donetsk
- Feyenoord Rotterdam – RB Leipzig
- RB Leipzig – RC Lens
- Como 1907 – RB Leipzig
Stuttgart handed a relatively balanced schedule
For their second Champions League appearance in three years, VfB Stuttgart avoided the very biggest names such as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Liverpool. That does not mean their schedule will be easy.
Atlético Madrid will visit the MHP Arena, while Stuttgart must travel to Inter Milan. Club Brugge and LOSC Lille are their other home opponents, with away trips to PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray. The visit to Istanbul in particular promises to be one of the most intimidating assignments in terms of atmosphere.
From Pot 4, Stuttgart drew Viking at home and Slovan Bratislava away, two fixtures in which Sebastian Hoeneß’s side should hold a clear advantage on paper. After finishing 26th in their 2024/25 Champions League campaign, the minimum aim this time will be to reach the top 24.
Stuttgart’s eight fixtures:
- VfB Stuttgart – Atlético Madrid
- Inter Milan – VfB Stuttgart
- VfB Stuttgart – Club Brugge
- PSV Eindhoven – VfB Stuttgart
- VfB Stuttgart – LOSC Lille
- Galatasaray – VfB Stuttgart
- VfB Stuttgart – Viking
- Slovan Bratislava – VfB Stuttgart
The top eight teams in the overall standings qualify directly for the round of 16, while those finishing ninth to 24th advance to the knockout play-offs. For LASK, simply reaching that intermediate round would already represent a major achievement. Bayern, by contrast, are among the candidates for a top-eight finish, while Dortmund, Leipzig and Stuttgart will primarily want to avoid being among the twelve teams eliminated after the eight league-phase matches.
