In the absence of Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic, the 2025-26 Champions League proper is now edging closer into view, as the league phase draw was conducted on Thursday afternoon.
Executives representing all 36 teams - from champions Paris Saint-Germain to minnows Kairat and Pafos - were in attendance in Monaco to witness the automated draw for the league phase, as the new-look UCL enters its second year.
The 2024-25 revamp was met with mixed reviews, but few can deny that the tournament threw up some fascinating early battles, and there are some high-profile encounters to look out for this time around too.
Here, Sports Mole picks out the five best fixtures to look out for in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase.
2025-26 Champions League league phase: Five best fixtures
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on August 23, 2025
Well, this was always going to happen was it not? Regular rivals Arsenal and Bayern Munich lock horns again, but this time in the league phase, as the Gunners endeavour to avenge multiple knockout heartbreaks at the hands of the German giants.
Mikel Arteta's men most recently fought a good fight against the Bavarians in the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-finals, but after holding out for a 2-2 draw on home soil, a Joshua Kimmich effort at the Allianz Arena in the second leg condemned the Gunners to a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
This time, North London and North London only will be the setting for this UCL fixture - unless both sides collide again in the knockout rounds - and Tottenham Hotspur legend Harry Kane will need no added incentive to make the Emirates his playground.
Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer in August 2025.
Time for the Didier Drogba "It's a f****** disgrace!" clip to come back from the archives.
The reigning Club World Cup champions welcome last season's Champions League favourites to Stamford Bridge for a repeat of the unforgettable 2009 semi-final drama, which preceded the equally memorable Fernando Torres tap-in at Camp Nou in 2012.
As well as pitting English behemoths against a Catalan colossus, two of the globe's most coveted young attacking talents will square off for supremacy, as Lamine Yamal and Cole Palmer come face to face.
The former came out on top with Spain in the Euro 2024 final - in spite of Palmer's quintessential 'ice-cold' equaliser - and this battle of the Bridge needs no build-up.
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring against Manchester City on February 19, 2025
Increasingly familiar foes over the past several seasons, the 2025-26 Champions League will mark the fifth straight campaign in which Real Madrid and Manchester City have collided in Europe's premier tournament, but their first non-knockout meeting since their inaugural clashes in 2012.
Few Sky Blues fans need reminding of how their 2024-25 battles panned out, as Carlo Ancelotti got one over Pep Guardiola in the knockout round playoffs to send the 2022-23 champions crashing out of the competition, a second straight dose of Blancos-inflicted heartache after their 2023-24 quarter-final loss.
Also boasting one semi-final success apiece from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 competitions, Real Madrid and Man City are forming quite the rivalry in European football, albeit nothing that may match up to the long-running conflict between Los Blancos and another of their Premier League counterparts.
Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold on August 19, 2025
A penny for Trent Alexander-Arnold's thoughts!
Potentially the most predictable outcome of any Champions League season ever, Liverpool and Real Madrid will meet at Anfield. Shock horror.
The Reds came up trumps when they welcomed the then-holders to their Merseyside home in last season's league phase, ending a torturous eight-game winless run against Los Blancos - seven of which ended in defeat, including the 2018 and 2022 finals.
While Xabi Alonso may be granted a warm welcome back to his former home, Alexander-Arnold would do well to expect a frosty reception, especially seeing as his own fans had already turned on him before he swapped red for white.
Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele pictured on April 15, 2025
From the Alexander-Arnold derby to the Ousmane Dembele derby, attacking fireworks are guaranteed to fly when the holders and last season's beaten semi-finalists go head-to-head in Catalonia.
Nearly 10 years on from the iconic Remontada, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona will welcome PSG back to the venue of that captivating comeback, as La Blaugrana's return to Camp Nou continues to hit setbacks following renovations.
However, a tie that has produced 28 goals across their last six meetings - an average of close to five per game - promises an exhilarating ride.
When does the 2025-26 Champions League league phase start?
The 2025-26 Champions League league phase will begin on September 16 and will conclude with the final round of matches on January 28, 2026, when all 36 teams will be in action on the same evening.
2025-26 Champions League league phase draw in full
Ajax:Inter Milan (home), Chelsea (away), Benfica (home), Villarreal (away), Olympiacos (home), Marseille (away), Galatasaray (home), Qarabag (away)
Arsenal: Bayern Munich (home), Inter Milan (away), Atletico Madrid (home), Club Brugge (away), Olympiacos (home), Slavia Prague (away), Kairat Almaty (home) and Athletic Bilbao (away)
Atalanta BC: Chelsea (home), Paris St-Germain (away), Club Brugge (home), Eintracht Frankfurt (away), Slavia Prague (home), Marseille (away), Athletic Bilbao (home) and Union SG (away)
Barcelona: Paris St-Germain (home), Chelsea (away), Eintracht Frankfurt (home), Club Brugge (away), Olympiacos (home), Slavia Prague (away), Copenhagen (home), Newcastle United (away)
Bayer Leverkusen: Paris St-Germain (home), Manchester City (away), Villarreal (home), Benfica (away), PSV Eindhoven (home), Olympiacos (away), Newcastle (home) and Copenhagen (away)
Bayern Munich: Chelsea (home), Paris St-Germain (away), Club Brugge (home), Arsenal (away), Sporting (home), PSV (away), Union SG (home) and Pafos (away)
Benfica: Real Madrid (home), Chelsea (away), Bayer Leverkusen (home), Juventus (away), Napoli (home), Ajax (away), Qarabag (home) and Newcastle (away)
Borussia Dortmund: Inter Milan (home), Manchester City (away), Villarreal (home), Juventus (away), Bodo/Glimt (home), Tottenham (away), Athletic Bilbao (home), Copenhagen (away)
Chelsea: Barcelona (home), Bayern Munich (away), Benfica (home), Atalanta (away), Ajax (home), Napoli (away), Pafos (home) and Qarabag (away)
Club Brugge: Barcelona (home), Bayern Munich (away), Arsenal (home), Atalanta (away), Marseille (home), Sporting (away), Monaco (home) and Kairat Almaty (away)
Eintracht Frankfurt: Liverpool (home), Barcelona (away), Atalanta (home), Atletico Madrid (away) Tottenham (home), Napoli (away), Galatasaray (home), Qarabag (away)
Inter Milan: Liverpool (home), Borrusia Dortmund (away), Arsenal (home), Atletico Madrid (away), Slavia Prague (home), Ajax (away), Kairat Almaty (home) and Union SG (away)
Juventus:Borussia Dortmund (home), Real Madrid (away), Benfica (home), Villarreal (away), Sporting (home), Bogo Glimt (away), Pafos (home) and Monaco (away)
Liverpool: Real Madrid (home), Inter Milan (away), Atletico Madrid (home), Eintracht Frankfurt (away), PSV Eindhoven (home), Marseille (away), Qarabag (home) and Galatasaray (away)
Manchester City: Borussia Dortmund (home), Real Madrid (away), Bayer Leverkusen (home), Villarreal (away), Napoli (home), Bodo/Glimt (away), Galatasaray (home) and Monaco (away)
Napoli: Chelsea (home), Manchester City (away), Eintracht Frankfurt (home), Benfica (away), Sporting Lisbon (home), PSV Eindhoven (away), Qarabag (home), Copenhagen (away)
Paris Saint-Germain: Bayern Munich (home), Barcelona (away), Atalanta (home), Bayer Leverkusen (away), Tottenham Hotspur (home), Sporting (away), Newcastle United (home) and Athletic Club (away)
PSV Eindhoven: Bayern Munich (home), Liverpool (away), Atletico Madrid (home), Bayer Leverkusen (away), Napoli (home), Olympiacos (away), Union Saint-Gilloise (home), Newcastle United (away)
Real Madrid: Manchester City (home), Liverpool (away), Juventus (home), Benfica (away), Marseille (home), Olympiacos (away), Monaco (home), and Kairat Almaty (away)
Sporting Lisbon: Paris Saint-Germain (home), Bayern Munich (away), Club Brugge (home), Juventus (away), Olympiacos (home), Napoli (away), Kairat (home), Athletic Bilbao (away)
Tottenham Hotspur: Borussia Dortmund (home), Paris Saint-Germain (away), Villarreal (home), Eintracht Frankfurt (away), Slavia Prague (home), Bodo/Glimt (away), Copenhagen (home), Monaco (away)
Villarreal: Manchester City (home), Borussia Dortmund (away), Juventus (home), Bayer Leverkusen (away), Ajax (home), Tottenham (away), Copenhagen (home) and Pafos (away)
More to follow.
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