The new season of Champions League. Josè’s Real Madrid Mourinho against his exes Inter e RomaManchester City again this year against Napoliwith the Neapolitans also fishing for the other Englishmen fromArsenal and the Porto.
L’Interseeded, also drew the Liverpool and the Borussia Dortmundwhile the As will face Barcelona e Paris Saint-Germainwith the French also playing at home against Roma. The Como team will also face Manchester United.
The Champions League draw
With Thierry Henry and David Villa sharing the tasks a Monte Carlo – the first to extract the balls and the second to press the pairing button established by the software before taking turns – the game came to life Champions League 2025-26.
The Champions League format
The format provides once again a championship phase with 36 teams with a single ranking: first day between 8 and 10 September, second between 13 and 14 October, third on 20-21 October, fourth on 3-4 November, fifth on 24-25 November, sixth on 8-9 December, seventh on 19-20 January and the eighth and last on 27 January.
The first eight classified they access directly to the round of 16; the teams ranked from ninth to 24th play in the play-offs for the direct elimination phase – pairings determined according to the same ranking – and the winners advance to the round of 16. From that moment on, the competition will continue with the classic direct elimination formula.
The final will be played on June 5th at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
All the rivals of the Italian teams
These are the Italian rivals in detail (H at home, A away) while waiting for the calendar which will be published on Saturday:
INTER: Liverpool (H), Real Madrid (A), Bruges (H), Borussia Dortmund (A), Shakhtar (H), Feyenoord (A), Stoke (H), Slovan Bratislava (A).
NAPOLI: Arsenal (H), Manchester City (A), Bruges (H), Porto (A), Bodo/Glimt (H), Villarreal (A), Viking (H), Sabah (A).
ROMA: Real Madrid (H), Paris Saint Germain (A), Sporting Lisbona (H), MAnchester United (A), Lille (H), Fenerbahce (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Aek Atene (A).
AS: Paris Saint Germain (H), Barcelona (A), Manchester United (H), Betis Seviglia (A), Lipsia (H), Feyenoord (A), Aek Athens (H), Lens (A).