RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Bayern's possible Champions League opponents
FC Bayern will find out which teams they’ll face in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League on Thursday evening (18:00 CEST). At the draw in Monaco, the German champions will be assisgned two opponents from each of the four pots, each containing nine teams. Clubs from the same country cannot meet, and it’s also not possible to play more than two games against teams from the same national association.
The arrangement of the pots is linked to the UEFA club coefficients. Bayern currently rank top here, ahead of Arsenal FC and Real Madrid, meaning they are placed in the first of the four pots. fcbayern.com gives an overview of the possible opponents.
Pot 1
Bayern won’t be able to avoid two tough draws from the first pot. This includes last season’s winners Paris Saint-Germain and runners-up Arsenal, as well as the champions from Italy and Spain in Inter Milan and FC Barcelona.
FC Bayern (German champions 2025/26) Real Madrid (LaLiga runners-up 2025/26) Paris Saint-Germain (French champions 2025/26 and holders) Liverpool (Fifth in the Premier League 2025/26) Inter Milan (Italian champions 2025/26) Manchester City (Premier League runners-up 2025/26) Arsenal (English champions 2025/26) FC Barcelona (Spanish champions 2025/26) Atlético Madrid (Fourth in LaLiga 2025/26)
Pot 2
The second pot also some big names in it with Europa League winners Aston Villa, three-time European champions Manchester United and Portuguese champions FC Porto.
Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga runners-up 2025/26 – not possible ) AS Roma (third in Serie A 2025/26) Sporting Lisbon (Primeira Liga runners-up 2025/26) Aston Villa (Fourth in the Premier League & Europa League winners 2025/26) FC Porto (Portuguese champions 2025/26) Manchester United (Third in the Premier League 2025/26) Club Brugge (Belgian champions 2025/26) Real Betis (Fifth in LaLiga 2025/26) PSV Eindhoven (Dutch champions 2025/26)
Pot 3
Two domestic champions are represented in Pot 3: Galatasaray (Turkey) and Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine). There are plenty of other famous names too with the likes of Napoli, Feyenoord and Villarreal.
Feyenoord (Eredivisie runners-up 2025/26) OSC Lille (Third in Ligue 1 2025/26) FK Bodø/Glimt (Eliteserien runners-up 2025) SSC Napoli (Serie A runners-up 2025/26) RB Leipzig (Third in Bundesliga 2025/26 – not possible ) Villarreal CF (Third in LaLiga 2025/26) Fenerbahçe (Süper Lig runners-up 2025/26) Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian champions 2025/26) Galatasaray (Turkish champions 2025/26)
Pot 4
The fourth pot contains no fewer than four Champions League debutants in Como 1907, LASK, Viking FK and Sabah FK.
Slavia Prague (Czech champions 2025/26) Slovan Bratislava (Slovakian champions 2025/26) VfB Stuttgart (Fourth in Bundesliga 2025/26 – not possible ) AEK Athens (Greek champions 2025/26) LASK (Austrian champions 2025/26) Como 1907 (Fourth in Serie A 2025/26) RC Lens (Ligue 1 runners-up 2025/26) Viking FK (Norwegian champions 2025) Sabah FK (Azerbaijani champions 2025/26)
How the Champions League will work in 2026/27
A total of 36 sides are going into the Champions League league phase. Across eight matchdays, each team play four home fixtures and four away fixtures against eight different opponents, as determined by the draw. After these eight matchdays, the top eight teams in the overall standings qualify directly for the round of 16, while the remaining eight last-16 spots are determined by a two-legged play-off round. The teams in places nine to 16 are drawn against teams from places to 17 to 24 in the league phase, with the better-placed teams having home advantage in the return leg. The eight teams who prevail in the play-offs complete the round of 16 line-up and will then face one of the eight directly qualified clubs, who are all seeded in the draw. At the draw for the last 16, the pairings for the quarter-finals and semi-finals are also determined. These are all played over two legs.
All dates at a glance
League phase Matchday 1: 8-10 September 2026 Matchday 2: 13/14 October 2026 Matchday 3: 20/21 October 2026 Matchday 4: 3/4 November 2026 Matchday 5: 24/25 November 2026 Matchday 6: 8/9 December 2026 Matchday 7: 19/20 January 2027 Matchday 8: 27 January 2027
Knockout phase Play-offs: 16/17 & 23/24 February 2027 Round of 16: 9/10 & 16/17 March 2027 Quarter-final: 6/7 & 13/14 April 2027 Semi-finals: 27/28 April & 4/5 May 2027 Final: 5 June 2027 (Madrid)
Draws League phase: 27 August 2026 Knockout play-offs: 29 January 2027 Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final: 26 February 2027
FC Bayern’s 2026/27 Champions League jersey:
Four iconic FC Bayern moments – one statement
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