The draw for the Champions League in Monaco on Thursday served up a mouth-watering set of fixtures.Manchester United made their return to the grandest stage of club soccer for the first time since the competition’s reformatting after a third-placed Premier League finish under Michael Carrick last season. The Red Devils were rewarded with ties against the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.Back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain have made relatively slow starts to both seasons which ended in the ultimate glory. Luis Enrique’s side notably finished outside the top eight in each of the past two campaigns and they may well struggle for automatic progression into the round of 16 after being drawn with Barcelona and Manchester City.Arsenal, who lost so narrowly on penalties to PSG last May, boasted a perfect league phase record in 2025–26. In fact, the Gunners have won their previous 12 matches at this stage of the competition, a glittering record which the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will be trying to ruin.The most successful club in Champions League history, Real Madrid, will not be playing Manchester City for once (in the league phase at least). Instead, they’ve got the Gunners, as well as the Serie A duo of Inter and Roma.Some of the most interesting ties involve Cesc Fàbregas’s Como. The former Barcelona midfielder is set to return to Camp Nou in the league phase while the Serie A upstarts also host Manchester United and PSG.Pot 1 TeamsPSG are back-to-back European champions. | Glenn Gervot/PSG/Getty ImagesParis Saint-GermainHome: Barcelona, Roma, Galatasaray, Slovan BratislavaAway: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, ComoBayern MunichHome: Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt, Slavia PrahaAway: Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille, VikingReal MadridHome: Inter, PSV, RB Leipzig, LASKAway: Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, AEK AthensLiverpoolHome: Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, LensAway: Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, LASKInterHome: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, StuttgartAway: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Slovan BratislavaManchester CityHome: PSG, Sporting, Napoli, AEK AthensAway: Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig, LensArsenalHome: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, SabahAway: Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli, Slavia PrahaBarcelonaHome: Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, ComoAway: PSG, Sporting, Galatasaray, SabahAtlético MadridHome: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, VikingAway: Liverpool, PSV, Bodø/Glimt, StuttgartPot 2 TeamsManchester United are back on the big stage. pic.twitter.com/hzTUmo7q2y— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) May 3, 2026Borussia DortmundHome: Inter, Real Betis, Villarreal, AEK AthensAway: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bodø/Glimt, SabahRomaHome: Real Madrid, Sporting, Lille, Slovan BratislavaAway: PSG, Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, AEK AthensSporting CPHome: Barcelona, Manchester United, Galatasaray, LASKAway: Manchester City, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, LensAston VillaHome: PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, VikingAway: Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Slavia PrahaPortoHome: Manchester City, PSV, Napoli, Slavia PrahaAway: Liverpool, Real Betis, Feyenoord, LASKManchester UnitedHome: Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig, SabahAway: Atlético Madrid, Sporting, Villarreal, ComoClub BruggeHome: Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bodø/Glimt, LensAway: Inter, PSV, Napoli, StuttgartReal BetisHome: Arsenal, Porto, Feyenoord, ComoAway: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Slovan BratislavaPSV EindhovenHome: Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, StuttgartAway: Real Madrid, Porto, RB Leipzig, VikingPot 3 TeamsBarcelona have been linked with Victor Osimhen. | Ahmad Mora/Getty ImagesFeyenoordHome: Inter, Porto, RB Leipzig, ComoAway: Barcelona, Real Betis, Galatasaray, VikingLilleHome: Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Galatasaray, Slovan BratislavaAway: Arsenal, Roma, Bodø/Glimt, StuttgartBodø/GlimtHome: Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille, LASKAway: Bayern Munich, Club Brugge, Napoli, LensNapoliHome: Arsenal, Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, VikingAway: Manchester City, Porto, Villarreal, SabahRB LeipzigHome: Manchester City, PSV, Shakhtar Donetsk, LensAway: Real Madrid, Manchester United, Feyenoord, ComoVillarrealHome: PSG, Manchester United, Napoli, SabahAway: Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, Slavia PrahaFenerbahçeHome: Liverpool, Roma, Villarreal, Slavia PrahaAway: Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASKShakhtar DonetskHome: Real Madrid, Sporting, Fenerbahçe, AEK AthensAway: Inter, PSV, RB Leipzig, Slovan BratislavaGalatasarayHome: Barcelona, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, StuttgartAway: PSG, Sporting, Lille, AEK AthensPot 4 TeamsComo touch the stars. The lake will host Champions League football next season. pic.twitter.com/tnIcw36fQR— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) May 24, 2026Slavia PrahaHome: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Villarreal, LensAway: Bayern Munich, Porto, Fenerbahçe, SabahSlovan BratislavaHome: Inter, Real Betis, Shakhtar Donetsk, StuttgartAway: PSG, Roma, Lille, LASKStuttgartHome: Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Lille, VikingAway: Inter, PSV, Galatasaray, Slovan BratislavaAEK AthensHome: Real Madrid, Roma, Galatasaray, LASKAway: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk, ComoLASKHome: Liverpool, Porto, Fenerbahçe, Slovan BratislavaAway: Real Madrid, Sporting, Bodø/Glimt, AEK AthensComoHome: PSG, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, AEK AthensAway: Barcelona, Real Betis, Feyenoord, LensLensHome: Manchester City, Sporting, Bodø/Glimt, ComoAway: Liverpool, Club Brugge, RB Leipzig, Slavia PrahaVikingHome: Bayern Munich, PSV, Feyenoord, SabahAway: Atlético Madrid, Aston Villa, Napoli, StuttgartSabahHome: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Slavia PrahaAway: Arsenal, Manchester United, Villarreal, VikingWhen Does the 2026–27 Champions League League Phase Start?The prize on offer for 36 teams. | David Ramos/Getty ImagesThere’s not long to wait until the competition proper gets underway. As has become tradition, the Champions League will swallow up an entire midweek to kickstart the league phase, with the first round of 18 fixtures split across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the second week of September.The subsequent rounds of action are staggered throughout October, November and December before the competition comes to an elongated hiatus at the turn of the year. While the group stage of the previous format would traditionally conclude before Christmas, there are still two rounds of league phase games to be played in January.In an attempt to avoid any type of cynical coalitions, all 36 teams kick off at the exact same time on the eighth and final matchday of Jan. 27, 2027.League Phase MatchdayDate1Sept. 8–10, 20262Oct. 13–14, 20263Oct. 20–21, 20264Nov. 3–4, 20265Nov. 24–25, 20266Dec. 8–9, 20267Jan. 19–20, 20278Jan. 27, 2027Champions League QuizAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow