
Champions League league phase draw: PSG to face Barcelona and Manchester City, Lille drawn against Bayern Munich and Arsenal
The draw for the Champions League league phase has been completed, revealing challenging fixtures for French clubs. Paris Saint-Germain will face prominent opponents including FC Barcelona and Manchester City, alongside AS Roma, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Galatasaray, Slovan Bratislava, and Como. Lille OSC, placed in Pot 3, is set to play Bayern Munich and Arsenal from Pot 1, in addition to AS Roma, Real Betis Balompié, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Stuttgart, and Slovan Bratislava. Racing Club de Lens, from Pot 4, will compete against Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, RB Leipzig, Slavia Prague, and Como. The league phase will run from September 8, 2026, to January 27, 2027. All 36 participating teams will be part of a single ranking, each playing eight matches. The top eight teams will directly qualify for the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will enter play-offs for a spot in the next round. Teams finishing between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from European competitions without transfer to the Europa League. The 36 clubs are distributed across four pots, with Pot 1 including PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid. Pot 2 features Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, FC Porto, and Manchester United. Pot 3 contains Lille, Napoli, Leipzig, Villarreal, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahçe. Pot 4 includes Lens, Stuttgart, AEK Athens, Como, Slavia Prague, a



