The draw for the opening stage of the Champions League has been completed, with Arsenal drawn against Real Madrid and Manchester United set to travel to Bayern Munich. The 36 teams in Europe's elite competition learned their fate on Thursday afternoon in Monaco, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa representing the Premier League in the 2026/27 edition.
How the draw worked
All 36 teams were placed into four pots based on their five-year UEFA coefficient. Each team was represented by a physical ball, and when drawn, a computer assigned them opponents for their eight matches — two from each pot. National regulations meant teams could not face another side from the same country during the league phase, and they could only meet a maximum of two teams from one country.
Premier League clubs' draws
Manchester United: Bayern Munich (H), Atletico Madrid (A), Roma (H), Sporting CP (A), RB Leipzig (H), Villarreal (A), Sabah (H), Como (A).
Liverpool: Atletico Madrid (H), Inter (A), Porto (H), Club Brugge (A), Villarreal (H), Fenerbahce (A), Lens (H), Lask (A).
Arsenal: Real Madrid (H), Bayern Munich (A), Borussia Dortmund (H), Real Betis (A), Lille (H), Napoli (A), Sabah (H), Slavia Prague (A).
Manchester City: PSG (H), Barcelona (A), Sporting CP (H), Porto (A), Napoli (H), RB Leipzig (A), AEK Athens (H), Lens (A).
Aston Villa: Real Madrid (H), Bayern Munich (A), Borussia Dortmund (H), Real Betis (A), Lille (H), Napoli (A), Sabah (H), Slavia Prague (A).
Matchday fixture dates
Gameweek 1: September 8, 9, 10. Gameweek 2: October 13 and 14. Gameweek 3: October 20 and 21. Gameweek 4: November 3 and 4. Gameweek 5: November 24 and 25. Gameweek 6: December 8 and 9. Gameweek 7: January 19 and 20. Gameweek 8: January 27.
The full fixtures and dates will be released by UEFA by Saturday, with the matchdays spread across those dates.
