Premier League sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle have all learned who they will face in the opening stages of the Champions League.
England had a record six teams in the draw made in Monaco this evening, with Liverpool second favourites to win the competition and clinch a seventh European Cup, behind only current holders Paris Saint-Germain. The Premier League champions were joined in the mix by Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Europa League winners Tottenham.
The league phase involves 36 teams playing eight matches each.
Arne Slot's Liverpool have been drawn with Inter Milan (A), Real Madrid (H), Atletico Madrid (H), Eintracht Frankfurt(A), PSV(H), Marseille(A), Qarabag(H), Galatasaray(A)
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will face Bayern Munich (H), Inter (A), Atletico Madrid (H), Club Brugge (A), Olympiacos (H), Slavia Prague (A), Kairat Almaty (H), Athletic Bilbao (A)
Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are set for matches against Bayern Munich (A), Barcelona (H), Benfica (H), Atalanta (A), Ajax (H), Napoli (A), Pafos (H), Qarabag (A)
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will square off against Real Madrid (A), Borussia Dortmund (H), Leverkusen (H), Villarreal(A), Napoli (H), Bodo/Glimt (A), Galatasaray(H), Monaco(A)
Pep Guardiola kisses the Champions League trophy after Manchester City beat Inter Milan in the 2023 final in Istanbul
Pep Guardiola wants to get his hands on the Champions League trophy again (Image: PA Archive)
Thomas Frank's Tottenham have been drawn with Borussia Dortmund (H), PSG (A) Villarreal (H), Frankfurt (A), Slavia Praha (H), Bodo/Glimt (A), Copenhagen(H), Monaco (A)
And Eddie Howe's Newcastle are to set compete with PSG (A), Bayer Leverkusen (A), Benfica (H), Barcelona (H), PSV (H), Marseille (A), Athletic Club (H), Union SG (A)
The Premier League gained an extra fifth place through coefficient rankings because English teams fared so well in European competition last season. That was further boosted by a sixth place for Spurs after they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in May.
The first round of games will run from September 16 to 18. It is spread across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that week. All 36 sides in the draw are chasing a place in the final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30 next year.
Champions League match dates
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Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025
Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025
Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025
Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025
Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025
Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026
Matchday 8: 28 January 2026
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026