Villarreal’s possible 31 Champions League rivals ahead of Thursday’s draw | OneFootball

Villarreal will learn their eight Champions League opponents from 18.00 on Thursday for the 2026/27 league phase. According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the format brings eight games against eight different teams, four at home and four away. As a Pot 3 side, they will draw two clubs from each pot with country protection, meaning 31 possible rivals.

Villarreal can face PSG, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City or Arsenal, but not Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid or Barcelona. PSG, the holders, would be a first-time meeting.

There is rich history elsewhere. Villarreal famously ousted Bayern in 2022 with Samu Chukwueze scoring in Munich, while Liverpool dumped them out in 2016 and 2022. Inter recalls 2006 and Rodolfo Arruabarrena, City brought pain in 2011 and 2025, and Arsenal evokes Riquelme’s 2006 miss, a 2009 exit and the 2021 Gdansk final.

In Pot 2, the sternest tests on paper include Manchester United, Roma, Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa and Porto. Club Brugge, PSV and Sporting CP look marginally kinder, though the level remains high.

From their own pot, Napoli, Lille and RB Leipzig stand out to avoid, and Bodo/Glimt are awkward at home. Also present are Feyenoord, Shakhtar Donetsk and Galatasaray. Pot 4 offers theoretically softer ties such as Sabah FK or LASK, though Como, Lens and Stuttgart look far from straightforward.

The top eight reach the last 16, places nine to 24 go into a play-off, the final 12 go out. Fixtures due by Saturday 29 August, kick-off 8 September.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

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