AFCON 2025
The 2026-27 Champions League league phase draw has served up a string of fixtures that will have fans marking their calendars well in advance of matchday one. Conducted in Monaco on Thursday, the draw paired Europe’s 36 clubs across four pots, and while every side will play eight matches in total, a handful of ties already stand out as must-watch encounters. Here are nine of them.
1. Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain
Enzo Maresca’s side face the reigning champions in what promises to be one of the marquee clashes of the entire competition. PSG go into the league phase as back-to-back winners of the trophy, and a meeting with City offers an early measuring stick for both sides’ credentials this term.
2. Barcelona v Manchester City
City’s daunting draw continues with a trip to face Barcelona, renewing a rivalry that has produced some of the most dramatic knockout football of the last decade. Hansi Flick’s attacking side will fancy their chances at home, but City are former- quite recent champions and have players like Haaland, Cherki, Doku, Sememyo among others capable of doing damage to Barcelona.
3. Arsenal v Real Madrid
Mikel Arteta’s men were handed one of the toughest draws of any English club, and this tie against Real Madrid, winners of the competition a record number of times, headlines it. Arsenal have been knocking on Europe’s door in recent campaigns, and a strong showing here would go a long way toward proving they belong among the tournament’s genuine contenders.
4. Bayern Munich v Arsenal
As if Real Madrid were not enough, Arsenal also come up against Bayern Munich, one of only a small group of clubs to have won the competition three seasons in a row. Back-to-back ties against two European heavyweights will be an early test of Arsenal’s squad depth and title ambitions.
5. Manchester United v Bayern Munich United’s own path through the league phase brings a meeting with Bayern Munich, a side that has enjoyed the better of recent continental battles between the two clubs. It is a fixture with plenty of history and one United’s supporters will circle immediately.
6. Aston Villa v Paris Saint-Germain
Unai Emery returns to face PSG, the club he guided to a Champions League final, giving this tie an added layer of narrative. Villa have grown steadily as a European force since their return to the competition, and a result against the reigning champions would be a statement result.
7. Barcelona v Aston Villa
Villa’s demanding group continues with a trip to face Barcelona, pitting Emery’s side against one of the most eye-catching attacking teams left in the competition. It is another opportunity for Villa to prove their European pedigree extends beyond domestic form.
8. Liverpool v Inter Milan
Liverpool were drawn against the same Inter Milan side they eliminated from last season’s competition, setting up an intriguing rematch. Andoni Iraola’s Reds will want to pick up where they left off, while Inter will be eager for a measure of revenge.
9. Real Madrid v Inter Milan
Rounding out the list is a heavyweight European clash between Real Madrid and Inter Milan, two clubs with a long and storied history in the competition. With both sides harbouring genuine ambitions of lifting the trophy in Madrid next June, this tie carries extra significance given the final itself will be staged at Real Madrid’s neighbouring rivals’ home, the Estadio Metropolitano.
