By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Arsenal have been handed a daunting route back to the Champions League final after being drawn against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the 2026/27 league phase.

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain face blockbuster meetings with Barcelona and Manchester City.

Thursday’s draw in Monaco produced a string of heavyweight clashes, immediately setting the stage for another fiercely contested Champions League campaign.

Arsenal, who lost last season’s final to PSG on penalties, will face 15-time European champions Real Madrid at home and travel to Bayern Munich in two of the most demanding fixtures of the league phase.

The Premier League champions will also meet Borussia Dortmund and Napoli as they attempt to finish among the top eight and secure automatic qualification for the knockout stage.

Mikel Arteta’s side will additionally play Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah and Slavia Prague, giving them a schedule that combines several European heavyweights with lower-ranked opponents.

The draw means Arsenal will have another opportunity to measure themselves against Real Madrid after their memorable quarter-final victory over the Spanish giants in 2025, when they advanced to the semi-finals.

For PSG, the holders face perhaps the most glamorous collection of opponents.

Luis Enrique’s back-to-back European champions will host Barcelona and Roma, while Manchester City and Aston Villa await in England. They will also face Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava and Como.

The PSG-Barcelona encounter stands out as one of the biggest fixtures of the opening phase, while the champions’ trip to Manchester City will provide another major examination of their title credentials.

PSG defeated Arsenal on penalties in May to retain the Champions League crown and will now begin their defence against a schedule packed with established European contenders.

Barcelona, meanwhile, received a similarly challenging assignment.

The Spanish giants will host Manchester City and Aston Villa, while travelling to PSG and Sporting CP. Their other opponents are Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Como and Azerbaijani newcomers Sabah.

Real Madrid have also been handed several high-profile encounters, with Arsenal and Inter Milan among their opponents. Jose Mourinho’s return to the competition with Madrid adds another layer of intrigue to the Spanish giants’ campaign, particularly with Inter among the clubs standing in their way.

Manchester City will host PSG and Sporting CP while travelling to Barcelona and Porto. The Premier League side will also meet Napoli, RB Leipzig, Lens and AEK Athens.

Liverpool, by contrast, appear to have avoided the most punishing draw among the major English contenders.

The Reds will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens, while their away assignments include Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK. The trip to Inter represents their standout fixture, but their overall schedule looks considerably less demanding than those of Arsenal and Manchester City.

Manchester United will return to the Champions League with a difficult assignment of their own, including a trip to Bayern Munich and meetings with Atletico Madrid and Sporting CP. Aston Villa, meanwhile, will face PSG at Villa Park in a repeat of the recent UEFA Super Cup, which the French side won 2-1.

The revamped Champions League format means the traditional group stage has been replaced by a single 36-team league table. Each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents-four at home and four away — with two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots.

The top eight teams after the eight league-phase rounds will advance directly to the last 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will enter a two-leg play-off for the remaining knockout places.

The league phase begins between September 8 and 10, with the final round scheduled for January 27, 2027. The final will be played on June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.