2026/27 Champions League Teams & Draw Guide: 36 Clubs, Results & Matchups

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026/27

THE DRAW IS SET.

Updated August 29, 2026 · 9 min read · JerseyProHub Editorial

36 TEAMS · 8 MATCHES · ONE TROPHY

QUICK ANSWER

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League features 36 teams in a single league phase, with each club playing eight different opponents (four home, four away). The draw was held in Monaco on August 27, 2026, and the headline fixtures include Arsenal vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Manchester City and Liverpool vs Inter Milan. Matchday 1 kicks off September 8–10, 2026.

• Defending champions: Paris Saint-Germain, chasing a third straight title
• 36 teams, 8 matches each, one league table — top 8 go direct to the round of 16
• Biggest early fixtures: Arsenal–Real Madrid, Barcelona–Man City, Liverpool–Inter
• Final matchday: January 27, 2027

IN THIS GUIDE

1. 01All 36 Champions League Teams
2. 02How the League Phase Works
3. 03Biggest Matchups from the Draw
4. 04Teams to Watch
5. 05Matchday Schedule
6. 06What to Wear on Champions League Nights

1All 36 Teams

The complete 36-team field, by country. England and Spain lead the way with five representatives each — tap any card's country to see the clubs chasing the trophy.

England (5)

Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Man United, Aston Villa

Spain (5)

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético, Villarreal, Real Betis

Italy (4)

Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como

Germany (4)

Bayern Munich, Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart

France (3)

Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille

Portugal (2)

Porto, Sporting CP

Netherlands (2)

PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

Norway (2)

Bodø/Glimt, Viking FK

Türkiye (2)

Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe

Belgium

Club Brugge

Czechia

Slavia Prague

Greece

AEK Athens

Austria

LASK

Azerbaijan

Sabah FK

Slovakia

ŠK Slovan Bratislava

Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk

2How the League Phase Works

The format introduced in 2024/25 continues in 2026/27 — one league table, no groups, and every matchday a standalone event because no two teams can meet twice:

36

Teams, one table

→

8

Matches each (4 home / 4 away)

→

24

Top 8 direct to R16; 9–24 playoff

→

16

Knockout bracket from February

Teams ranked 9th–24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining round-of-16 places; 25th–36th are eliminated outright — no parachute into the Europa League. It's why fixtures like Arsenal vs Real Madrid carry weight the moment the draw is made. And the draw is only act one of the season — the wider five-league picture is framed in our European Season Preview.

3Biggest Matchups from the Draw

01

Matchday Pick

Real Madrid

15-time champions

VS

Arsenal

Reigning English champions

The freshly crowned English champions host the record 15-time European kings. Declan Rice vs Jude Bellingham in midfield alone is worth the ticket — and it tells us whether this Arsenal generation is ready to finish the job in Europe.

Fixture	Why It Matters
Barcelona vs Manchester City	City's first campaign after Guardiola, away at the Camp Nou
Liverpool vs Inter Milan	Anfield against the reigning Serie A champions — a 2022 classic revisited
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal	Arsenal must travel to Munich, where history has rarely been kind
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich	Old Trafford hosts the Germans — echoes of the 1999 final
PSG vs Barcelona	The champions at home against La Liga winners, with Rodri now in Barcelona colors
Real Madrid vs Inter Milan	Two clubs with 22 European Cups between them

Full home/away splits in our dedicated matchups guide.

For the ten fixtures we circled first — the stories, the stakes and the shirts — read our companion piece: 10 Biggest Champions League Matchups to Watch in 2026/27.

4Teams to Watch

Paris Saint-Germain — the dynasty watch

Back-to-back titles change everything. Luis Enrique's PSG play the most coherent team press in Europe, and a third straight crown would put them in a conversation that has been dormant for nearly 50 years.

Arsenal — the wounded finalist

Twice in two seasons Arsenal have been beaten by PSG at the business end. Mikel Arteta's side finally turned Premier League dominance into a title in 2026 — Europe is the last box to tick. The domestic arms race they must survive first is mapped in our 2026/27 Premier League Season Preview.

Barcelona — La Liga champions, all-in

Fresh off a league title and a blockbuster summer built around Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Barcelona have the deepest midfield in the competition. Their away trip to PSG is appointment viewing.

Manchester City — the new era

No Guardiola, no Rodri, no Bernardo Silva — but Erling Haaland still scores at a rate nobody else can match, and new boss Enzo Maresca has attacking talent everywhere he looks.

Real Madrid — always Real Madrid

A kinder draw on paper (Inter at home is the standout), and a squad that treats the league phase as a warm-up for spring. Write them off at your peril — nobody has lifted this trophy more often, and why Real Madrid have worn white since 1902.

5Matchday Schedule