The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place in Monaco on August 27, revealing key matchups including Paris Saint-Germain facing Barcelona and Manchester City in its group [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. PSG, led by coach Luis Enrique, are the two-time defending European champions and will also face Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava, and Como across their eight group matches [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 7, 5]. Luis Enrique said, "I can’t say anything bad about the Champions League, but I won’t be watching the draw. I will be relaxing and going out on my bike, then we’ll take a look at the menu. But I would sign up for the same result as in the last two years" [4].
Barcelona’s group includes hosting Manchester City and Aston Villa. Manchester City will host PSG, Napoli, Sporting, and AEK Athens and travel to Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig, and Lens [8, 9, 3, 4, 7, 5]. Aston Villa will host PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahce, and Viking Stavanger while traveling to Barcelona, Galatasaray, Club Brugge, and Slavia Prague [8, 9, 6, 3, 4, 7].
Real Madrid, 15-time European champions, were drawn to face Arsenal, Inter Milan, and others. Their manager José Mourinho, who returned in June 2026, will face his former club Inter Milan in the group stage [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 7, 5]. Arsenal will host Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and travel to Dortmund, Lille, Napoli, Real Betis, Slavia Prague, Sabah, among others [8, 9, 3, 4, 7, 5].
Manchester United return to the competition after a two-year absence, facing Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, and Como [8, 9, 6, 3, 4, 5]. Liverpool will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, and Lens and travel to Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, and LASK [8, 9, 6, 3, 4, 5].
This season marks the third year of the 36-team league format introduced in 2024-25, with five clubs each from the Premier League and La Liga participating, the highest number from either league [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 7].
The group stage will begin on September 8, 2026, and run until January 27, 2027. Knockout rounds follow in February. The final is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid [8, 6, 3, 4, 7].
