Key Points
- Manchester City and Aston Villa will both face Paris St-Germain in the 2026-27 Champions League league phase.
- PSG will travel to the Etihad Stadium and Villa Park.
- Manchester City will also play Barcelona away, where they are set to face former midfielder Rodri.
- Aston Villa will travel to Barcelona and host Borussia Dortmund, as well as PSG at Villa Park.
- Arsenal will host Real Madrid and travel to Bayern Munich.
- Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa have each been drawn against eight league-phase opponents.
- The league phase starts on 8 September 2026 and ends on 27 January 2027.
- UEFA is expected to confirm the fixture order, dates and kick-off times by Saturday 29 August.
- The 2026-27 Champions League final is scheduled for 5 June in Madrid.
Manchester City FC ( Manchester Mirror) August 27, 2026 – Man City and Aston Villa face PSG after the 2026-27 Champions League league-phase draw placed the two Premier League clubs against the reigning European champions. Paris St-Germain will travel to Manchester City and Aston Villa during the opening stage of the competition, while Barcelona are also among the high-profile opponents allocated to both English sides.
- Key Points
- Which Champions League opponents have Manchester City drawn?
- Which Champions League opponents have Aston Villa drawn?
- What did the draw give the other English clubs?
- When will the Champions League league phase be played?
- Background: How does the league phase work?
- Prediction: How could the PSG draw affect supporters?
BBC Sport, in its report Man City and Aston Villa to face champions PSG, said PSG had been drawn to visit the Etihad Stadium and Villa Park. The report also stated that the French club will welcome Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, while making trips to the two English clubs. The fixture sequence has not yet been confirmed, meaning dates, matchweeks and kick-off times for the PSG ties remain to be announced.
Which Champions League opponents have Manchester City drawn?
Manchester City will host PSG, Sporting Club, Napoli and AEK Athens in the league phase. The club will travel to Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig and Lens, according to BBC Sport’s list of the draw.
| Manchester City opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Paris St-Germain | Home |
| Barcelona | Away |
| Sporting Club | Home |
| Porto | Away |
| Napoli | Home |
| RB Leipzig | Away |
| AEK Athens | Home |
| Lens | Away |
City’s home game against PSG will bring the European champions to the Etihad Stadium. The draw also sets up an away match against Barcelona, where City are expected to meet Rodri following his reported summer move to the Spanish club. BBC Sport described the transfer as a £65 million deal.
Another former City midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne, is due to return to Manchester when Napoli visit in the league phase, according to the BBC Sport report. That match will be one of four home fixtures for the club, alongside the visits of PSG, Sporting Club and AEK Athens.
The meeting with Porto gives City a Portuguese opponent away from home, while RB Leipzig, Lens and AEK Athens complete a draw spanning France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The league-phase structure requires every club to play eight matches, split between four at home and four away. UEFA confirmed that 36 clubs are involved in the draw.
Which Champions League opponents have Aston Villa drawn?
Aston Villa will welcome PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahce and Viking to Villa Park. Unai Emery’s side will travel to Barcelona, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Slavia Prague, BBC Sport reported.
| Aston Villa opponent | Venue |
|---|---|
| Paris St-Germain | Home |
| Barcelona | Away |
| Borussia Dortmund | Home |
| Club Brugge | Away |
| Fenerbahce | Home |
| Galatasaray | Away |
| Viking | Home |
| Slavia Prague | Away |
Villa’s PSG fixture is the most prominent home tie in their league-phase schedule. The club will also face Borussia Dortmund at Villa Park and Barcelona away, giving Emery’s team matches against opponents from France, Germany and Spain as part of their eight-game programme.
BBC Sport described Villa as returning to the Champions League after a season away and identified them as Europa League winners. The report did not include dates for any of the eight matches, because UEFA had not published the league-phase fixture schedule at the time of the draw.
The European governing body said the 2026-27 fixture list, including match dates and kick-off times, would be communicated no later than Saturday 29 August. UEFA had scheduled the draw in Monaco for Thursday 27 August, beginning at 18:00 CET.
What did the draw give the other English clubs?
The draw also produced major fixtures for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Arsenal will host Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah, while travelling to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague. BBC Sport reported that Arsenal were beaten by PSG on penalties in the previous season’s final, adding context to the club’s return to the competition.
Liverpool will play Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield. Their away matches are against Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
Manchester United will host Bayern Munich, Roma, RB Leipzig and Sabah. United’s away fixtures are against Atletico Madrid, Sporting Club, Villarreal and Como. BBC Sport said the club were returning to the competition after a two-year absence.
| Club | Notable home opponents | Notable away opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich, Napoli |
| Liverpool | Atletico Madrid, Porto | Inter Milan, Fenerbahce |
| Manchester United | Bayern Munich, Roma | Atletico Madrid, Sporting Club |
| Manchester City | PSG, Napoli | Barcelona, Porto |
| Aston Villa | PSG, Borussia Dortmund | Barcelona, Galatasaray |
UEFA’s pre-draw information showed PSG, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter among the nine clubs in Pot 1. Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP and Porto were listed in Pot 2.
When will the Champions League league phase be played?
The first league-phase matches are scheduled to be played from 8 September 2026. The final round will take place on 27 January 2027, with every club completing eight matches before the knockout phase.
The published matchday windows are:
- Matchday one: 8-10 September 2026
- Matchday two: 13-14 October 2026
- Matchday three: 20-21 October 2026
- Matchday four: 3-4 November 2026
- Matchday five: 24-25 November 2026
- Matchday six: 8-9 December 2026
- Matchday seven: 19-20 January 2027
- Matchday eight: 27 January 2027
UEFA confirmed the 2026-27 final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid. BBC Sport reported that the final is set for 5 June.
Background: How does the league phase work?
The Champions League uses a 36-club league phase rather than the former group-stage format. Each side plays eight matches against eight different opponents: four at home and four away. UEFA placed the competing clubs into four pots of nine for the draw.
The top eight clubs in the final league-phase table progress directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 24th enter two-legged knockout play-offs for the remaining eight places in the last 16, while the clubs placed 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
For Manchester City and Aston Villa, the significance of the draw is immediate: both clubs have a home match against the current European champions, PSG, and an away game against Barcelona. However, the positions of those fixtures within the calendar will determine how they fit around domestic league, cup and international commitments.
Prediction: How could the PSG draw affect supporters?
For Manchester City and Aston Villa supporters, the PSG fixtures are likely to become two of the most closely followed home matches of the league phase because they involve the European champions. Ticket demand, travel planning and broadcast interest may increase once UEFA confirms the dates and kick-off times.
The timing will also affect the practical challenge for fans. A midweek PSG match may require travel and accommodation arrangements for visiting supporters, while the Barcelona away fixtures create additional travel considerations for both fanbases. Until the fixture list is released, it is not possible to determine whether the games will fall alongside demanding domestic schedules.
On the pitch, the league-phase format means neither City nor Villa’s progression will depend on one result against PSG. Each club has eight matches from which to build its final table position. The PSG games will therefore be important fixtures, but their effect on qualification will depend on results against all seven of the other opponents.
