Arsenal’s Champions League league-phase fixtures confirmed for 2026-27

Arsenal will begin their 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign at home to Real Madrid, with the full schedule for the league phase now confirmed. The Premier League champions will also face Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah Baku and Slovan Bratislava.

Arsenal are returning to the competition after losing last season’s final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. They will play eight matches in the league phase, split equally between four home fixtures and four away games.

Their opponents have been drawn from each of the four available pots, with every team facing two clubs from each pot. Arsenal’s fixtures, listed by the opponents’ seeding pots, are:

– Real Madrid – home – Bayern Munich – away – Borussia Dortmund – home – Real Betis – away – Lille – home – Napoli – away – Sabah Baku – home – Slovan Bratislava – away

The meeting with Real Madrid will be one of the most notable fixtures of Arsenal’s campaign. Arsenal have never lost to Real Madrid in the history of the UEFA Champions League, winning three of their previous meetings and drawing one.

That record will be tested again when the Spanish club visits Arsenal, although the date and kick-off time for the match have not yet been announced.

The exact dates for all of Arsenal’s league-phase matches are expected to be confirmed on Saturday, 29 August. The league phase is scheduled to begin on 8 September and conclude on 27 January 2027.

Arsenal’s home fixtures will be against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah Baku, while their away games will take them to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slovan Bratislava.

The league-phase format means Arsenal will not play a traditional group containing the same opponents home and away. Instead, the club will meet eight different teams, with the four home matches and four away matches forming the first stage of their European campaign.

Their meeting with Paris Saint-Germain will not be repeated as part of the fixtures listed for the league phase. Arsenal’s return to the competition comes after they were beaten by the French side in last season’s final, with the deciding outcome settled by a penalty shoot-out.

The campaign will therefore combine a demanding schedule against some of Europe’s most established clubs with matches against Real Betis, Napoli, Sabah Baku and Slovan Bratislava. Arsenal’s first confirmed league-phase opponent is Real Madrid, who will travel to face the Premier League champions at home.