Mikel Arteta’s side are eyeing a second consecutive final, after their penalty-shootout heartbreak against PSG
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Arsenal are set to play the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League’s first phase this season, as the Gunners aim to bounce back from their final heartbreak.
In May, Arsenal lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain after coming up short in a penalty shootout, meaning their wait for a first trophy in the competition goes on.
As they bid to reach a second consecutive final – and third overall – the reigning Premier League winners will this season take on Real Madrid and their Spanish colleagues Real Betis, as well as German duo Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
open image in galleryMartin Odegaard (left) and Mikel Merino react to their defeat in the 25/26 Champions League final (Getty)
Furthermore, the north London club will face Italy’s Napoli, French side Lille, Czech Republic’s Slavia Prague, and Azerbaijani debutants Sabah.
Arsenal also played Bayern and Slavia Prague in last season’s group stage, beating both before finishing atop the table.
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Below are Arsenal’s fixtures in full for this season’s league phase, although the order of the games is not yet official; the dates and times for the fixtures are expected to be released in the next 48 hours.
Arsenal’s Champions League draw
• Real Madrid (home)
• Bayern Munich (away)
• Borussia Dortmund (H)
• Real Betis (A)
• Lille (H)
• Napoli (A)
• Sabah (H)
• Slavia Prague (A)
open image in galleryArsenal beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in last year’s group stage (Getty)
How does the league phase work?
The league phase has 36 teams with every team handed eight games.
The 36 teams are split into four pots of eight teams based on their Uefa coefficient, with the opponents generated by automated software. The opponents then come from each pot, with two teams selected from each, one home and one away.
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Teams cannot play another team from the same country and are not permitted to face more than two teams from one country.
Those finishing inside the top eight go straight into the last 16, then the next 16 teams advance to the play-off stage, with eight of those 16 teams progressing to the last 16.