Arsenal Face Real Madrid & Bayern: Full Champions League 2026/27 Fixture List
The league phase begins on September 8, with 36 teams competing across eight matchdays before the knockout rounds begin in February.
Arsenal face Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Liverpool have a trip to Inter Milan and Manchester United will meet Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Manchester City and Aston Villa will both welcome PSG, setting up two of the most intriguing fixtures of the league phase.
The Champions League fixture map
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026/27
|
+----------------+----------------+
| | |
ARSENAL LIVERPOOL MAN UTD
| | |
Real Madrid Inter Milan Atlético
Bayern Munich Atlético Bayern Munich
|
MAN CITY ASTON VILLA
| |
PSG + Barça PSG + Barça
With eight fixtures against eight different opponents, every match can have a major impact on the final league-phase standings.
Arsenal's Champions League fixtures
Arsenal have arguably been handed one of the most demanding schedules among the Premier League representatives.
Mikel Arteta's side will face Napoli, Lille, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Real Betis and Sabah.
The headline fixtures are undoubtedly the meetings with Bayern and Real Madrid, giving Arsenal two major tests against European heavyweights.
| Date | Fixture | Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Napoli (A) | 20:00 |
| October 13 | Lille (H) | 20:00 |
| October 21 | Bayern Munich (A) | 20:00 |
| November 4 | Slavia Prague (A) | 20:00 |
| November 24 | Borussia Dortmund (H) | 20:00 |
| December 9 | Real Madrid (H) | 20:00 |
| January 20 | Real Betis (A) | 20:00 |
| January 27 | Sabah (H) | 20:00 |
The Real Madrid home fixture on December 9 could be one of the standout nights of Arsenal's European campaign.
Manchester United's Champions League fixtures
Manchester United begin their league-phase campaign at home against Sabah before facing Atlético Madrid away.
Their schedule also includes Como, Roma, Sporting CP, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Villarreal.
| Date | Fixture | Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 10 | Sabah (H) | 20:00 |
| October 13 | Atlético Madrid (A) | 20:00 |
| October 21 | Como (A) | 17:45 |
| November 3 | Roma (H) | 20:00 |
| November 25 | Sporting CP (A) | 20:00 |
| December 8 | RB Leipzig (H) | 20:00 |
| January 20 | Bayern Munich (H) | 20:00 |
| January 27 | Villarreal (A) | 20:00 |
The biggest test comes on January 20, when Bayern Munich travel to Old Trafford.
United will also have to negotiate a difficult away trip to Atlético in October.
Manchester City's Champions League fixtures
Manchester City start their campaign away against Porto before hosting PSG in what immediately becomes one of the league phase's marquee games.
Pep Guardiola's side will also play AEK Athens, RB Leipzig, Napoli, Barcelona, Lens and Sporting CP.
| Date | Fixture | Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 8 | Porto (A) | 20:00 |
| October 14 | PSG (H) | 20:00 |
| October 20 | AEK Athens (H) | 20:00 |
| November 4 | RB Leipzig (A) | 20:00 |
| November 24 | Napoli (H) | 20:00 |
| December 8 | Barcelona (A) | 20:00 |
| January 20 | Lens (A) | 20:00 |
| January 27 | Sporting CP (H) | 20:00 |
The trip to Barcelona on December 8 is another major fixture, while the PSG visit to Manchester arrives much earlier in the campaign.
Liverpool's Champions League fixtures
Liverpool's schedule contains an especially interesting away assignment against Inter Milan, while Atlético Madrid visit Anfield on matchday one.
Arne Slot's team will also face LASK, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Club Brugge, Porto and Lens.
| Date | Fixture | Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Atlético Madrid (H) | 20:00 |
| October 14 | LASK (A) | 17:45 |
| October 20 | Villarreal (H) | 20:00 |
| November 4 | Fenerbahce (A) | 17:45 |
| November 25 | Club Brugge (A) | 20:00 |
| December 9 | Porto (H) | 20:00 |
| January 19 | Inter Milan (A) | 20:00 |
| January 27 | Lens (H) | 20:00 |
The trip to Inter on January 19 will be Liverpool's toughest assignment on paper, while the Atlético opener provides an immediate test.
Aston Villa's Champions League fixtures
Aston Villa also face a demanding European campaign, beginning away at Club Brugge.
Unai Emery's side will play Fenerbahce, Viking, Barcelona, Galatasaray, PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Prague.
| Date | Fixture | Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 8 | Club Brugge (A) | 17:45 |
| October 14 | Fenerbahce (H) | 20:00 |
| October 21 | Viking (H) | 20:00 |
| November 3 | Barcelona (A) | 20:00 |
| November 24 | Galatasaray (A) | 17:45 |
| December 8 | PSG (H) | 20:00 |
| January 19 | Borussia Dortmund (H) | 20:00 |
| January 27 | Slavia Prague (A) | 20:00 |
Villa's meeting with PSG at Villa Park is particularly intriguing after the French champions defeated them 2-1 in the recent Super Cup in Salzburg.
Full Champions League league-phase schedule
The competition is spread across eight matchdays:
Matchday 1: September 8-10
Matchday 2: October 13-14
Matchday 3: October 20-21
Matchday 4: November 3-4
Matchday 5: November 24-25
Matchday 6: December 8-9
Matchday 7: January 19-20
Matchday 8: January 27
The league phase features 36 teams, with every club playing eight different opponents — four at home and four away.
How does Champions League qualification work?
The new format means finishing position is more important than ever.
The top eight teams in the league-phase table automatically qualify for the round of 16.
Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter the knockout-phase play-offs. The sides finishing 9th to 16th are seeded and will face teams finishing 17th to 24th, with the seeded teams playing the second leg at home.
Meanwhile, teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition. There is no drop into the Europa League.
That creates a significant incentive to collect points throughout the eight-match league phase rather than relying on a late surge.
Champions League knockout-stage dates
Once the league phase is complete, the competition moves into its decisive stages.
| Round | Dates |
|---|---|
| Knockout play-offs | February 16/17 & 23/24 |
| Round of 16 | March 9/10 & 16/17 |
| Quarter-finals | April 6/7 & 13/14 |
| Semi-finals | April 27/28 & May 4/5 |
| Final | June 5, 2027 |
The 2027 Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5.
Which Premier League club has the toughest draw?
On paper, Arsenal's schedule stands out because of the combination of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Manchester City also have a heavyweight pairing in PSG and Barcelona, while Aston Villa face PSG and Barcelona alongside difficult away trips to Galatasaray and Club Brugge.
Liverpool's schedule looks somewhat more balanced, although Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan provide two major tests.
For Manchester United, the Atlético Madrid away fixture and Bayern Munich at Old Trafford headline a schedule that also contains Roma, Sporting CP and RB Leipzig.
With only eight league-phase matches and no Europa League safety net for teams finishing 25th or lower, every point could prove decisive when the table is finally calculated in January.
Senior Sports Correspondent - Oliver Whitmore is a distinguished sports journalist and senior correspondent with extensive experience covering elite sport for prominent media platforms. Known for his authoritative reporting, incisive analysis, and sophisticated storytelling, Oliver has developed a strong reputation for delivering compelling coverage of major sporting events, athletes, teams, and the wider sports industry.
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