Champions League holders Paris St Germain will take on Barcelona and Manchester City in this season’s league phase, while record 15-time champions Real Madrid will face Inter Milan and Arsenal after Thursday’s draw in Monaco set up several mouth-watering clashes.
The league-phase format, introduced in the 2024-25 season, is entering its third campaign. Mourinho, who returned for a second spell in charge of Real in June, guided Inter to the Champions League title in 2010 before leaving for the Santiago Bernabeu. The knockout stage starts in February, with the final set for June 5 at Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium. The venue will stage the Champions League final for the second time, having previously hosted Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
While Atletico will host the final, they appear to have been handed one of the competition’s toughest league-phase draws, with Bayern and United due to visit Madrid and a trip to Liverpool also on the agenda. Luis Enrique’s PSG, who beat Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties in the Champions League final in May to retain their title, will host Barca and travel to City. Their other league-phase opponents are Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava and Como. The meeting with Inter will see new Real manager Jose Mourinho face one of his former clubs. Six-time European champions Bayern Munich’s headline fixtures include a home game against Arsenal and away trips to Atletico Madrid and Manchester United. Under new manager Andoni Iraola, six-time European champions Liverpool will face Inter and Atletico among their standout league-phase fixtures.