2026-27 Champions League draw: PSG to face Barcelona, Manchester United to face Bayern
The draw for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League stage saw a series of blockbusters, with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain drawn against Barcelona and Manchester City, while 15-time winners Real Madrid face Inter Milan and Arsenal.
The draw took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday 27 August, with all 36 teams knowing their eight opponents for the opening phase of the competition. The 2026–27 tournament is the third season to use the expanded UEFA league stage format, replacing the traditional group stage.
PSG enter the campaign as two-time defending champions after beating Arsenal on penalties in last season’s final. Luis Enrique’s side will now begin their quest to become only the fourth club to win the European Cup / Champions League three times in a row, after Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Ajax.
PSG FACE CITY, BARCA
PSG were given one of the toughest schedules in the draw. The French champions will host Barcelona and Roma, while taking on Manchester City and Aston Villa. Their other four opponents are Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava and Como.
PSG’s eight opponents:
- Barcelona – home
- Manchester City – away
- Roma — home
- Aston Villa – away
- Galatasaray — home
- Villarreal — gone
- Slovan Bratislava — home
- Like — gone
TEST OF HAND ARSENAL REAL MADRID
Real Madrid will open their Champions League campaign under returning manager Jose Mourinho with home games against Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig and LASK. Mourinho’s team will travel to Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens. The Inter game has added Mourinho’s story. The Portuguese coach led Inter to the Champions League title in 2010 before leaving the Italian club for Real Madrid. Mourinho returned to Madrid for a second time this summer with a contract until 2029.
Real Madrid’s eight opponents:
- Inter Milan – home
- Arsenal — gone
- PSV Eindhoven – home
- Roma — gone
- RB Leipzig — home
- Shakhtar Donetsk — gone
- LASK — home
- AEK Athens – gone
BAYERN RENEWS RIVALRY WITH UNITED
Bayern Munich will host Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt and Slavia Prague. Their away games are against Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille and Viking.
Bayern Munich’s eight opponents:
- Arsenal — home
- Atlético Madrid – away
- Real Betis – home
- Manchester United — gone
- Bodø/Glimt — home
- Lille — away
- Slavia Prague — home
- Viking — gone
UNITED MEET ATLETICO
Manchester United will host Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah while traveling to Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Como.
Manchester United’s eight opponents:
- Bayern Munich – Home
- Atlético Madrid – away
- Roma — home
- Sporting CP — gone
- RB Leipzig — home
- Villarreal — gone
- Sabah — home
- Like — gone
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Barcelona
- Manchester City – Home
- Aston Villa – home
- Feyenoord — home
- Like — home
- Paris Saint-Germain — gone
- Sporting Lisbon – away
- Galatasaray — gone
- Sabah — gone
Arsenal
- Real Madrid – home
- Bayern Munich – gone
- Borussia Dortmund – home
- The real Betis – gone
- Lille – home
- Naples — gone
- Sabah — home
- Slavia Prague — gone
- Manchester City
- PSG – home
- Barcelona – away
- Sporting CP — home
- Porto — gone
- Naples — home
- RB Leipzig — gone
- AEK Athens – home
- Lens – gone
Liverpool
- Aletico Madrid – home
- Inter Milan – gone
- Porto — home
- Club Brugge – gone
- Villarreal — home
- Fenerbahce — gone
- Lens — domestic
- LASK — gone
Aston Villa
- PSG – home
- Barcelona – away
- Borussia Dortmund – home
- Club Brugge – gone
- Fenerbahce — home
- Galatasaray — away
- Viking — home
- Slavia Prague — gone
THE NEW CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FORMAT
The 2026-27 Champions League features 36 teams in one league table. Each club plays eight different opponents – two from each of the four banks – with four home and four away matches. The top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout stage of the play-offs, while teams ranked 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
UCL: WHAT ARE KEY DATA
- Game Day 1: 8-10 September 2026
- Game day 2: 13.-14.10
- Game day 3: 20.-21.10
- Game Day 4: 3-4 november
- Game Day 5: 24-25 november
- Game Day 6: 8-9 december
- Game Day 7: 7-8 p.m. January 2027
- Game Day 8: January 27
- Play-off elimination matches: 16.-17. February and 23-24
- Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
- Quarterfinals: 6-7 April and 13-14
- Semi-finals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
- Final: June 5, 2027 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
27 Aug 2026 23:14 IST