Champions League 2026/27 draw sets fixtures for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético, Villarreal and Betis | OneFootball

El Periódico Mediterráneo reports that the Champions League league-phase draw has been made, with all 36 clubs learning their first eight opponents for the 2026/27 campaign.

PSG enter the 72nd edition as holders and firm candidates to claim a third successive title, though retaining it will not be straightforward. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético, Bayern and Arsenal are among the leading challengers.

Beyond the heavyweights, there are other subplots, notably four debutants led by Como under Cesc Fàbregas, plus the return of Real Betis. There is also intrigue over which modest club might emulate Bodo/Glimt’s feat from last season.

The league phase begins on Tuesday 8 September and runs to 27 January, when the eighth and final round will be played on a unified schedule.

As with last season, the group stage has been scrapped in favour of a single-table ranking. The top eight progress directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing from ninth to 24th enter play-offs to fill the remaining eight places.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”