UEFA has published the complete fixture list for the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League, giving Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa their first look at the road ahead in Europe's top club competition.
The campaign gets under way on 8-10 September, with Aston Villa the first English side into action, travelling to face Club Brugge at 5.45pm BST. That opening round also sees Manchester City make the trip to Porto, while Liverpool welcome Atletico Madrid to Anfield. Arsenal begin at home against Napoli, and Manchester United mark their return to the competition by hosting Azerbaijani outfit Sabah FC.
Matchday two follows on 13-14 October, headlined by City's home clash with holders PSG. Arsenal face Lille, Liverpool host LASK, United travel to Atletico Madrid, and Villa entertain Fenerbahce at home.
Just a week later, on matchday three, Arsenal head to Bayern Munich in the first of two major tests against German opposition. Liverpool and City both play at home, taking on Villarreal and AEK Athens respectively, while United go to Como and Villa host Viking FK.
The league phase reaches its midpoint on 3-4 November with a standout fixture for Villa, who travel to Barcelona. United host AS Roma at Old Trafford, while Liverpool, Arsenal and City are all on the road, facing Fenerbahce, Slavia Praha and RB Leipzig respectively.
Matchday five, set for 24 November, brings Arsenal up against Borussia Dortmund, with City hosting Napoli and Villa making an eye-catching visit to Galatasaray. The following day, Liverpool face Club Brugge and United travel to take on Sporting CP.
The final matchday before the winter break, on 8-9 December, delivers some of the biggest ties of the campaign. Arsenal host Real Madrid, City travel to Barcelona and Villa face PSG. United take on RB Leipzig, while Liverpool close out the round against Porto.
There is no action over the winter break period, with the competition resuming for the penultimate round on 19-20 January. United face arguably their toughest match of the league phase as they host Bayern Munich, while Villa, managed by Unai Emery, welcome Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool travel to Inter Milan, and City and Arsenal both play away, at Lens and Real Betis respectively.
The league phase concludes just a week later, with every final-round fixture kicking off simultaneously at 8pm BST on 27 January. Arsenal are set for a relatively straightforward finish at home to Sabah, while City host Sporting CP. United round off their campaign away at Villarreal, Liverpool face Lens, and Villa finish the group stage with a trip to Slavia Praha.
Once the league phase concludes, the top eight teams in the standings will progress directly to the round of 16. Sides finishing between 9th and 24th will contest a knockout play-off round, scheduled for 16-17 and 23-24 February, to determine the remaining last-16 spots.
The round of 16 will be played on 9-10 and 16-17 March, followed by the quarter-finals on 6-7 and 13-14 April. The semi-finals are set for 27-28 April and 4-5 May, before the season culminates with the final at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium on 5 June 2027.
Based on reporting from The Independent.