The 2025/26 Champions League draw has seen us pitted against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty and Athletic Club.
While we wait to find out when exactly we'll be tackling these sides, find out more about how the competition will work:
What is the format of the Champions League?
Following the introduction of the League Phase last season, the format will continue in 2025/26, with each team playing eight matches against eight different teams, four at home and four away.
The top eight sides in the league qualify automatically for the knockout stage, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their path into the last 16.
In 2024/25, we finished in third place in the league phase with 19 points, winning six of our eight matches and conceding just three goals.
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Download our 2025/26 fixtures to your phone!](https://www.arsenal.com/news/download-our-202526-fixtures-your-phone?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
When will we be in action?
Our first match of the league phase will take place between September 16-18, with five more rounds of games taking place in 2025. These will be held on September 30-October 1, October 21-22, November 4-5, November 25-26, and December 9-10.
The final two league phase games will happen in January. The penultimate match will take place on January 20-21 before all 36 sides play at the same time in the final set of matches on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
How do the knockout stages look?
The teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase will go automatically through to the round of 16, with sides placed ninth through to 24th competing in the two-legged knockout phase play-off.
The draw for the knockout play-offs rounds will be carried out on January 30, 2026, with the two legs taking place on February 17-18 and February 24-25.
After that, the draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all happen on February 27, 2026.
The round of 16 matches will occur on March 10-11 and March 17-18. Quarter-final matches will be held on April 7-8 and April 14-15, before the semi-finals on April 28-29 and May 5-6.
The final will be held at the Puskas Arena, in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30, 2026. It will be the first time that the nation has hosted the final of the competition.
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Quiz: Every team we've met in the Champions League](https://www.arsenal.com/news/quiz-every-team-weve-met-champions-league?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
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