The UEFA Champions League draw for the league phase took place in Monaco on Thursday, August 28. Football legends Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka were present to conduct the ceremony. Thirty-six teams are part of this new format.
The Premier League sides, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, now know their opponents for the group stage. Each team will play eight matches, four at home and four away.
Arsenal in Tough Draw for UEFA Champions League
Arsenal have been handed a tough draw. They will play Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Olympiacos, and Kairat Almaty at the Emirates Stadium. Their away games will be against Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Slavia Praha, and Athletic Bilbao. Mikel Arteta’s team will need to perform strongly to advance.
Chelsea also face a challenging set of fixtures. Their home matches will be against Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax, and Pafos. Away, they will meet Bayern Munich, Napoli, Atalanta, and Qarabag. The Blues will also welcome back a familiar face, as David Luiz will return to Stamford Bridge with Pafos. Enzo Fernandez will meet his former club, Benfica, while transfer target Fermin Lopez could face Chelsea if he remains with Barcelona.
Liverpool will face some European giants too. Their home games are against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, PSV, and Qarabag. Their away trips include visits to Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, and Galatasaray. Reds fans are especially excited as Trent Alexander-Arnold is set for a big role this season at Anfield.
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The league phase will run from September 16 to January 28. The new format allows the top eight teams to qualify directly for the Round of 16. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th will fight in a playoff for the remaining spots.
The final will take place on May 30, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. All three English clubs will hope to make it there, but the path is filled with difficult tests.
