Soccer
The Winners and Losers in the Champions League Draw
All 36 clubs learned their league-phase opponents in Thursday’s 2026-27 Champions League draw, in which defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to become just the second team ever to win three straight titles.
A top-eight finish in the league phase brings automatic passage to the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth through 24th enter the knockout playoffs, and the bottom 12 are eliminated.
Real Madrid emerged among the biggest winners, avoiding Manchester City and Liverpool entirely.
The 15-time champions’ toughest assignment is a trip to reigning Premier League champions Arsenal — a side they have never beaten in the competition — with Inter and Roma the only other fixtures rated as genuine tests.
Photo credit: KCS Presse / MEGA
Liverpool drew Atlético Madrid at home and Inter away from Pot 1, a manageable slate for a new manager given the Reds won both identical fixtures in last season’s league phase. Bayern Munich, who came within one goal from last year’s final, drew a schedule with Arsenal at home as the lone standout threat.
On the other side, Barcelona pulled PSG for a second consecutive season — this time in Paris — plus trips to Sporting CP and Galatasaray, where Liverpool, Juventus and Atlético all stumbled last season, and home dates with Manchester City and Europa League winners Aston Villa.
Atlético Madrid must face Bayern and travel to Anfield, while Manchester United‘s Champions League return delivers Bayern at Old Trafford, Atlético away and precious few fixtures rated as reliable three-point opportunities.
The league phase begins on September 8.
