The 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League draw for the league phase has been drawn and it has raised many reactions.
Reigning FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea will face La liga champions Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Napoli.
The Blues, who won the UEFA Conference League last season, will also take on Ademola Lookman side Atalanta, Pafos, Benfica and Qarabag.
Chelsea was given an award before the draw got underway. They were presented with a special award for becoming the first club to win the six UEFA Men’s competitions.
These trophies includes: Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, Youth League.
They will host Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax, and Pafos at Stamford Bridge and will be guests to Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Napoli and Qarabag.
It is the first time Chelsea will compete in the Champions League since the introduction of the 36-team league phase.
Their fellow London side Arsenal, they will take on Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty and Athletic Bilbao.
Mikel Arteta’s men will host Bayern, Athletico, Olympiakos and debutants Kairat at Emirates Stadium. After that, they will also face Inter for the second season in a row, as well as trips to Bruges, Prague and Bilbao.
There will be an Anfield return for Trent Alexander-Arnold as Real Madrid visit Premier League champions Liverpool for the second successive season.
The Reds’ other Pot 1 opponents are last term’s Champions League runners-up Inter, with a difficult trip to San Siro ahead of Slot’s side.
Liverpool will host Atlético Madrid in a challenging clash and their other Pot 2 adversaries are Hugo Ekitiké’s former club Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Frenchman will return to his former home in the league phase. The Reds face Azerbaijani side Qarabağ from Pot 4 but have avoided the lengthy trip across Europe.
However, they will have to make an unwanted journey to Galatasaray in Turkey.Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Real Madrid are amongst the sides Manchester City will face in the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League.
Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Monaco and Villarreal complete the lineup of teams.
