Chelsea’s Champions League run for 2025–26 is starting to take shape, and it’s not going to be easy. In UEFA’s new league-phase format, the Blues will play eight different teams. Some of these teams are well-known in Europe, while others are less popular.
Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax, and Pafos will all come to Stamford Bridge to play the West London club. There will be trips to Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Napoli, and Qarabag.
The draw brings back four of Chelsea’s classic matches from their 2012 Champions League win: against Barcelona, Benfica, Bayern, and Napoli. However, thinking about the past won’t help Enzo Maresca’s team navigate what is probably the most demanding schedule in the tournament.
The old group stage has been replaced by a single-table league with 36 teams, according to UEFA. Each club plays two teams from each seeding pot in eight games, four at home and four away. The top eight teams go straight to the round of 16. The teams that finish 9th through 24th will have to participate in a playoff.
When Chelsea plays at home, they can’t make any mistakes, especially when Barcelona and Ajax come to town. The Blues could either advance to the knockout stage or be eliminated early, depending on how well they perform in their tough away games in Naples and Munich.
It seems easier to go to Pafos and Qarabag, but these ties are hard to predict, so they could end up costing a lot. Chelsea’s path to glory begins with one of the toughest schedules on the continent. The last game will be in Budapest on May 30, 2026.
Chelsea Aiming for Premier League Pole Position As Fulham Clash Draws Near
This Saturday, Chelsea will play Fulham at Stamford Bridge in a very important West London derby. The Blues want to move up to the top of the Premier League, at least for a short time. The game will begin at 12:30 p.m. BST.
Chelsea won their last game against West Ham 5-1, but they may be without Cole Palmer, who is still recovering from a groin injury. Fulham hasn’t lost a game in the league yet. They tied with both Brighton and Manchester United and won their EFL clash against Bristol City on Wednesday by a score of 2–0.
History, on the other hand, favors Chelsea because they have won this match more often than not. Last season, however, Fulham did win an unexpected game at the Bridge.