Arsenal will face record 15-time winners Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League.
The Premier League champions were also handed ties against German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Italian side Napoli, in Thursday’s league phase draw.
Manchester City and Aston Villa will both play holders Paris St Germain and Spanish champions Barcelona, while Liverpool meet Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
Manchester United will come up against old foes Bayern Munich and Atletico on their return to the competition after a two-year absence.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, beaten by PSG in last season’s final, will host Jose Mourinho’s Real, with Dortmund, Lille and Sabah – the competition newcomers from Azerbaijan – also visiting the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will travel to Munich, Napoli, Real Betis and Slavia Prague.
The road to Madrid begins here. pic.twitter.com/pFG6fL1eHF
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 27, 2026
City will come up against the hero of their 2023 triumph after being drawn against Rodri’s Barcelona. Enzo Maresca’s side will travel to the Nou Camp and also play Porto, Leipzig and Lens away.
Their first Champions League campaign without Pep Guardiola at the helm since 2015-16 will see them face PSG, Sporting Lisbon, Napoli and AEK Athens at home.
It will be the second successive season they have hosted Napoli, whose squad includes their former playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Liverpool will tackle Serie A winners Inter and Atletico for the second successive season, with the Reds facing a reunion with former midfielder Curtis Jones when they travel to San Siro.
There will also be trips to Bruges, Fenerbahce and Austrian side LASK – who beat Celtic in the play-off round – for Andoni Iraola’s men while Atletico, Porto, Villarreal and Lens head to Anfield.
United will host the rematch of the famous 1999 final against Bayern at Old Trafford with their other visitors being Roma, Leipzig and Sabah. Atletico, Sporting, Villarreal and Cesc Fabregas’ Como are their away opponents.
Europa League winners Villa host Unai Emery’s former side PSG in a repeat of their quarter-final two seasons ago. Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Norwegian outfit Viking will also visit Villa Park. Villa’s away games are at Barca, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague.
Other interesting games in the league phase include PSG hosting Barcelona and Mourinho, newly reinstalled as Real boss, facing the side he led to Champions League glory in 2010, Inter.
The order of the fixtures is yet to be confirmed. Organisers UEFA will publish the full schedule on Saturday at the latest.
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