Liverpool have been handed a challenging set of opponents in a simulated Champions League league phase draw, featuring clashes with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Roma, RB Leipzig, Lille, Dinamo Zagreb or Viking, and Lens.
Draw details and format
The real draw for the 2026/2027 campaign takes place on Thursday, August 27, starting at 5pm UK time. Under UEFA's 36-team league phase, the Reds will play eight initial fixtures, with opponents selected evenly across the four seeding pots. Ties between domestic sides are prohibited during this round.
The action on the pitch officially begins on September 8. This season's Champions League holds dual significance for Liverpool: it marks Andoni Iraola's managerial debut in the tournament, and it offers the chance to secure a seventh title at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium, the venue of their 2019 triumph.
Pot one: Atletico Madrid and Barcelona
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are no walk in the park for any team, even at Anfield. The resilient and aggressive side have faced Liverpool five times since February 2020 alone, with Liverpool winning three of those games. Overall, the Reds have triumphed in four of their nine meetings. Simeone was also charged by UEFA for his conduct at Anfield in Liverpool's 3-2 win in September 2025.
Barcelona boast attacking talent including Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon and Raphinha. Liverpool have not played the La Liga giants since May 2019, when Jurgen Klopp's side staged a stunning 4-0 comeback at Anfield to reach the Champions League final. The Reds have won only four of their 10 encounters with Barcelona, and the back-to-back Spanish champions would be a sizeable task, especially at the Camp Nou.
Pots two and three: Sporting, Roma, Leipzig and Lille
Sporting CP at Anfield would represent a new challenge, with Liverpool having never played the Portuguese side competitively. Roma away would be a return to European action for Gian Piero Gasperini's side, back in the Champions League for the first time since 2019. Liverpool have beaten Roma only three times in seven meetings, with their last encounter a 4-2 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in a 2018 semi-final that the Reds ultimately won.
RB Leipzig at home sees Liverpool face a side they have beaten in all three meetings between 2021 and 2024, without conceding a goal. Lille visited Anfield in January 2025 for a league phase tie, which the Reds won 2-1. The French side have beaten Liverpool only once, 1-0 away in March 2010.
Pot four: Zagreb, Viking and Lens
Dinamo Zagreb or Viking would visit Anfield from pot four. Zagreb have never played Liverpool competitively; the 26-time Croatian champions completed a domestic double last season and are making their 10th Champions League appearance. Viking are back in the competition for the first time since 1992, led by joint head coaches Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, having fended off Bodo/Glimt in last season's Eliteserien. Lens complete the eight teams and are another side Liverpool have yet to face in their history.
