Real Madrid supporters will travel to Liverpool and welcome Borussia Dortmund at home, mirroring last season's final in the league stage of the revamped Champions League, following Thursday's draw.
In the new format of Europe's premier club competition, each team will compete in eight matches against eight distinct opponents. All 36 clubs are now consolidated into a single league, abandoning the traditional group system. Since extending their record to a 15th European Cup, Madrid has added French star Kylian Mbappe to their roster. They will also face AC Milan at home and travel to Atalanta. Madrid recently defeated Atalanta, the Europa League champions, in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw.
Liverpool returns to the Champions League after a one-season hiatus and will notably face Milan and Girona, who are making their tournament debut. Liverpool fans may be particularly thrilled about hosting German champions Bayer Leverkusen, managed by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. Manchester City, the 2023 competition winners, will host Italian champions Inter Milan and visit Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. They were also drawn against less formidable opponents such as Club Brugge, Sparta Prague, and Slovan Bratislava, who have never participated in the modern Champions League.
Other notable matchups include Bayern Munich versus PSG and Barcelona, and Arsenal against Inter and Paris. The Champions League has expanded from 32 to 36 clubs, with participants divided into four seeded pots of nine for the draw. Each team will face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away. The initial matches are scheduled for September 17, 18, and 19. The additional matchdays in the new league phase will occur in January, after which the top eight clubs will advance directly to the round of 16. Those ranked ninth to 24th will compete in a play-off round to determine the remaining eight sides advancing to the round of 16. The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated, with no option to drop into the Europa League as previously.
