Liverpool, Manchester City draw Real Madrid in Champions League League phase

Liverpool and Manchester City will both face 15-time winners Real Madrid in the newly formatted Champions League league phase, setting up blockbuster clashes between English and Spanish giants. 

The draw also confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United will face reigning champions Paris St-Germain in their respective routes to the knockout phase.

The expanded 36-team league format, introduced last season, will feature six Premier League clubs for the first time. However, English sides will be kept apart until the knockout rounds. 

Liverpool’s standout tie is the meeting with Real Madrid at Anfield, where they will also reunite with former defender Trent Alexander-Arnold following his summer move to the Spanish champions. The Reds will also meet Atletico Madrid and last year’s finalists Inter Milan.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, aiming to reclaim the trophy they won in 2023, face a demanding run of fixtures including matches against Real Madrid, Napoli, and Borussia Dortmund. 

Chelsea were handed a daunting set of opponents with Barcelona and Bayern Munich among their eight games, while Arsenal will also test themselves against Bayern and Inter Milan.

Tottenham, who qualified by winning last season’s Europa League, face Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, while Newcastle’s return to the competition brings glamour ties against Barcelona, PSG and Benfica. 

Both clubs will also host European giants at St James’ Park and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what promise to be high-profile nights.

Under the new system, each team plays eight different opponents, split evenly between home and away games. The top eight sides in the table advance directly to the last 16, while those placed ninth to 24th contest two-legged play-offs for the remaining spots. 

Teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from Europe altogether. The first round of fixtures begins on September 16th, with the league phase concluding on January 28th 2026. 

The season will culminate with the Champions League final in Budapest, where Premier League sides will hope to cap a demanding campaign with European glory.