Thierry Henry and David Villa joined the ceremony, the balls came out, and within minutes every fan in Europe asked the same thing: who do we get? The league phase draw took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 27 August 2026. The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League draw has since sorted 36 clubs into one table, and Matchday 1 is already in the books.
Below you will find the format, the biggest fixtures, the dates for every round, and a full run for the English clubs, all the way to the final in Madrid.
How the 2026-27 Draw Worked?
Teams were split into four pots by their 2026 UEFA club coefficients, and each club plays two opponents from every pot, one at home and one away. That makes eight games per team, four at home and four away, all feeding a single league table.
The top eight go straight to the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th play knockout play-offs, and anyone from 25th to 36th is out of European competition. Nobody drops into the Europa League this season.
A few fresh faces make this edition interesting. Como, LASK, Sabah, and Viking make their league phase debuts, Real Betis return for the first time since 2005-06, and AEK Athens are back after eight years away. Norway also has two clubs in the main phase for the first time in 27 years.
The Biggest Fixtures the Draw Delivered
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain drew Barcelona at home and Manchester City away. Those two games alone could decide who lands in the top eight.
Arsenal face Real Madrid at home and Bayern Munich away. Liverpool travel to Inter, while Manchester City must also visit Barcelona. Real Madrid host Inter and travel to Arsenal, and Aston Villa host PSG with a trip to Barcelona on their card.
Matchday 1 in Brief
The opening week, 8 to 10 September, set the tone. PSG beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1, Bayern thrashed Bodø/Glimt 5-0, Barcelona won 5-1 against Feyenoord, and Manchester United beat Sabah 4-0. Arsenal edged Napoli 1-0 in Italy, Liverpool beat Atlético Madrid 2-1, and Aston Villa won 3-2 at Club Brugge. Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City won 2-0 at Porto.
Real Madrid took the first Clasico-sized scalp, beating Inter 2-1. The table is tight, and goal difference is already doing the sorting.
Full League Phase Schedule and Dates
All matches fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, apart from the opening exclusive week, with kick-offs at 18:45 and 21:00 CET/CEST. The final matchday kicks off simultaneously at 21:00.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| 1 (played) | 8 to 10 September 2026 |
| 2 | 13 and 14 October 2026 |
| 3 | 20 and 21 October 2026 |
| 4 | 3 and 4 November 2026 |
| 5 | 24 and 25 November 2026 |
| 6 | 8 and 9 December 2026 |
| 7 | 19 and 20 January 2027 |
| 8 | 27 January 2027 |
UEFA Champions League Fixtures for 2026-27
- Matchday 2: Manchester City vs PSG (14 Oct), Roma vs Real Madrid (14 Oct), Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United (13 Oct), Galatasaray vs Barcelona (13 Oct)
- Matchday 3: PSG vs Barcelona (20 Oct), Bayern Munich vs Arsenal (21 Oct), Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig (21 Oct)
- Matchday 4: Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich (3 Nov), Barcelona vs Aston Villa (3 Nov), RB Leipzig vs Manchester City (4 Nov)
- Matchday 5: Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (24 Nov), Manchester City vs Napoli (24 Nov), PSG vs Roma (25 Nov)
- Matchday 6: Barcelona vs Manchester City (8 Dec), Arsenal vs Real Madrid (9 Dec), Aston Villa vs PSG (8 Dec)
- Matchday 7: Inter vs Liverpool (19 Jan), Manchester United vs Bayern Munich (20 Jan), Como vs PSG (20 Jan)
- Matchday 8: Manchester City vs Sporting CP, Barcelona vs Como, Liverpool vs Lens, Arsenal vs Sabah (all 27 Jan)
Premier League Clubs: Every Remaining Game
| Club | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Lille (H) | Bayern (A) | Slavia Prague (A) | Dortmund (H) | Real Madrid (H) | Real Betis (A) | Sabah (H) |
| Liverpool | LASK (A) | Villarreal (H) | Fenerbahçe (A) | Club Brugge (A) | Porto (H) | Inter (A) | Lens (H) |
| Man City | PSG (H) | AEK Athens (H) | RB Leipzig (A) | Napoli (H) | Barcelona (A) | Lens (A) | Sporting CP (H) |
| Man United | Atlético (A) | Como (A) | Roma (H) | Sporting CP (A) | RB Leipzig (H) | Bayern (H) | Villarreal (A) |
| Aston Villa | Fenerbahçe (H) | Viking (H) | Barcelona (A) | Galatasaray (A) | PSG (H) | Dortmund (H) | Slavia Prague (A) |
Knockout Phase Dates and the Final
After January, the road splits. The knockout play-offs run on 16/17 and 23/24 February, the round of 16 on 9/10 and 16/17 March, quarter-finals on 6/7 and 13/14 April, and semi-finals on 27/28 April and 4/5 May.
The final takes place on 5 June 2027 at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium. UEFA has not yet confirmed the knockout draw dates in most official previews, so check back after Matchday 8.
What to Watch Next?
Matchday 2 arrives on 13 and 14 October, and Manchester City vs PSG is the one to circle. One result will not decide anything yet, but with eight games each and a single table, early points matter more than they look.
