Man United learn place in welcome return to Champions League | OneFootball

Manchester United have made a welcome return to Champions League football.

Lack of involvement

The last time the Red Devils reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League was in 2019, when they were soundly defeated 4-0 by FC Barcelona over two legs.

United have reached the final of the Europa League twice in that period, in 2021 and 2025, but lost the respective finals to Villarreal and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, their involvement in the Champions League has been irregular, as they were knocked out in the last 16 in 2022 by Atletico Madrid and at the group stage in 2023.

Thankfully, they will have the chance to put an end to years of irrelevance in the Champions League next season after finishing third in the Premier League behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Pot 2

This will be the first time the Red Devils compete in the new league phase and extended format, where each team plays eight games against two teams from each of the four pots.

United do have experience of this format in the 2024-2025 Europa League, but not in the Champions League.

The Daily Mail reports that, “clubs will be required to play two matches – one home and one away – against teams from each of the four pots.”

Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool will all be in pot one, with other English sides Aston Villa and United joining in pot two.

United have also fallen behind Villa in recent years in the European ranking, owing to Villa’s Europa League win this year and their run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2025.

The Red Devils are “set to be joined in pot 2 by Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.”

Twenty-nine of the teams have been confirmed for next season’s format, with seven still needing to qualify during the summer’s qualification process.

Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images

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