Champions League unveils new expanded format

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The draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League was held in Monaco on Thursday, marking the second season under the tournament’s new expanded format.

Instead of the traditional group stage, 36 clubs will now compete in a single league table. Each team will play eight matches—four at home and four away—against opponents drawn from four seeding pots. Clubs from the same country cannot face one another, and no team can be paired with more than two clubs from the same national association.

At the end of the league phase, the top eight sides will qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th will enter a two-legged play-off to secure the remaining spots, while clubs ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from European competition.

Twenty-nine clubs qualified automatically through their domestic league positions, while seven others advanced via the play-off round. Heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona were placed in Pot 1 as top seeds.

UEFA confirmed that fixtures will run from September 16, 2025, to January 28, 2026, with the full match calendar to be released before the weekend.

Full Fixture List

Pot 1 Teams

Real Madrid

Home: Manchester City, Juventus, Marseille, Monaco
Away: Liverpool, Benfica, Olympiacos, Kairat Almaty

Manchester City

Home: Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Galatasaray
Away: Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, Monaco

Bayern Munich

Home: Chelsea, Club Brugge, Sporting CP, Union Saint-Gilloise
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Pafos

Liverpool

Home: Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Qarabağ
Away: Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, Galatasaray

Paris Saint-Germain

Home: Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Tottenham, Newcastle
Away: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP, Athletic Club

Inter Milan

Home: Liverpool, Arsenal, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty
Away: Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Ajax, Union Saint-Gilloise

Chelsea

Home: Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax, Pafos
Away: Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Napoli, Qarabağ

Borussia Dortmund

Home: Inter Milan, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, Athletic Club
Away: Manchester City, Juventus, Tottenham, Copenhagen

Barcelona

Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Eintracht Frankfurt, Olympiacos, Copenhagen
Away: Chelsea, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Newcastle

Arsenal

Home: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Olympiacos, Kairat Almaty
Away: Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Athletic Club

Bayer Leverkusen
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Villarreal, PSV Eindhoven, Newcastle
Away: Manchester City, Benfica, Olympiacos, Copenhagen

Atlético Madrid
Home: Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodø/Glimt, Union Saint-Gilloise
Away: Liverpool, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray

Benfica
Home: Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Qarabağ
Away: Chelsea, Juventus, Ajax, Newcastle

Atalanta
Home: Chelsea, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Athletic Club
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, Union Saint-Gilloise

Villarreal
Home: Manchester City, Juventus, Ajax, Copenhagen
Away: Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Pafos

Juventus
Home: Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Sporting CP, Pafos
Away: Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, Monaco

Eintracht Frankfurt
Home: Liverpool, Atalanta, Tottenham, Galatasaray
Away: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Qarabağ

Club Brugge
Home: Barcelona, Arsenal, Marseille, Monaco
Away: Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Sporting CP, Kairat Almaty

Pot 3 Teams

Tottenham Hotspur
Home: Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, Copenhagen
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodø/Glimt, Monaco

PSV Eindhoven
Home: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Union Saint-Gilloise
Away: Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Newcastle

Ajax
Home: Inter Milan, Benfica, Olympiacos, Galatasaray
Away: Chelsea, Villarreal, Marseille, Qarabağ

Napoli
Home: Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP, Qarabağ
Away: Manchester City, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Copenhagen

Sporting CP
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Club Brugge, Marseille, Kairat Almaty
Away: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Napoli, Athletic Club

Olympiacos
Home: Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven, Pafos
Away: Barcelona, Arsenal, Ajax, Kairat Almaty

Slavia Prague
Home: Barcelona, Arsenal, Bodø/Glimt, Athletic Club
Away: Inter Milan, Atalanta, Tottenham, Pafos

Bodø/Glimt
Home: Manchester City, Juventus, Tottenham, Monaco
Away: Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Slavia Prague, Galatasaray

Marseille
Home: Liverpool, Atalanta, Ajax, Newcastle
Away: Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Sporting CP, Union Saint-Gilloise

Pot 4 Teams

Copenhagen
Home: Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Kairat Almaty
Away: Barcelona, Villarreal, Tottenham, Qarabağ

Monaco
Home: Manchester City, Juventus, Tottenham, Galatasaray
Away: Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, Pafos

Galatasaray
Home: Liverpool, Atlético Madrid, Bodø/Glimt, Union Saint-Gilloise
Away: Manchester City, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ajax, Monaco

Union Saint-Gilloise
Home: Inter Milan, Atalanta, Marseille, Newcastle
Away: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Galatasaray

Qarabağ
Home: Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ajax, Copenhagen
Away: Liverpool, Benfica, Napoli, Athletic Club

Athletic Club
Home: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Sporting CP, Qarabağ
Away: Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Slavia Prague, Newcastle

Newcastle United
Home: Barcelona, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club
Away: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille, Union Saint-Gilloise

Pafos
Home: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, Monaco
Away: Chelsea, Juventus, Olympiacos, Kairat Almaty

Kairat Almaty
Home: Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Olympiacos, Pafos
Away: Inter Milan, Arsenal, Sporting CP, Copenhagen

 

Matches will run from September 16, 2025 to January 28, 2026, with UEFA expected to release the full fixture calendar before the weekend.

The expanded league system is designed to increase competitiveness and fan engagement while giving more clubs the chance to progress in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

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