Revealed: Who Liverpool Could Face in the Champions League Next Season | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Champions League Opponents Taking Shape for 2025/26

Europe’s Elite Gather Again

Liverpool’s quest to reclaim their European crown begins with a clear view of their likely opposition. The Reds, under the guidance of Arne Slot, are already preparing for the return of Champions League football next season, with the landscape of Europe’s elite beginning to take shape.

Their domestic dominance saw them crowned Premier League champions, and with UEFA’s new format continuing into its second year, six English clubs are confirmed participants for the league phase of the Champions League in 2025/26.

Tottenham’s Europa League triumph ensured they joined Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle in Europe’s top-tier competition. UEFA’s coefficient ranking gifted England the extra slot, a nod to the strength and consistency of Premier League teams across continental campaigns.

Strong Contenders Confirmed

The challenge ahead will be substantial. Already, 28 teams are known – and the names are both familiar and formidable. Champions of their respective leagues such as Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Napoli bring pedigree and threat in equal measure.

Others have entered through strong league finishes. From Italy come Inter Milan, Atalanta and Juventus. Spain offers Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club and Villarreal. Germany’s representation includes Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund, the latter also in Pot 1 alongside Liverpool.

Ligue 1 clubs Marseille and Monaco join Ajax of the Netherlands, who finished runners-up to PSV Eindhoven. Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague and Union SG make up the rest of the confirmed list, all champions in their respective leagues.

Playoff rounds will decide the final seven participants. Celtic, Basel, Sturm Graz and Bodo/Glimt are confirmed playoff entrants, while former European Cup winners Benfica and Feyenoord, along with Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Nice, hope to advance from earlier rounds.

Photo: IMAGO

Format and Draw Details

Under UEFA’s new league-phase model, Liverpool will play eight matches against eight different teams, two from each seeding pot. These matches will be split evenly between home and away, replacing the traditional group-stage system.

The draw for the league phase takes place in Monaco on August 28, following the conclusion of the playoff rounds. By then, Liverpool will have a complete view of their eight league-phase opponents, and a clearer sense of the road to Wembley in May 2026.

Liverpool will enter the draw in Pot 1, a status earned by their domestic title and European performance. Alongside them are fellow heavyweights PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Dortmund and Barcelona.

The draw could yet produce fixtures of genuine glamour, and difficulty. With two opponents from each of the four pots, the randomness of draw day will play its part in shaping each club’s campaign.

Lessons from Last Season’s New Format

The inaugural season of the expanded format brought its share of controversy. Liverpool topped the league-phase table in 2024/25 but were handed a brutal round of 16 draw against PSG, a tie they ultimately lost to the eventual champions.

That seeding wrinkle prompted debate, with many suggesting the new format favours late momentum over early consistency. Slot’s Liverpool will hope to learn from that harsh lesson and navigate the path more efficiently this time around.

With a new manager at the helm and a clear ambition to re-establish themselves among Europe’s finest, Liverpool will approach the campaign with renewed hunger. The names are almost finalised, the paths are slowly forming, and the pursuit of Champions League glory is firmly back on the agenda.