Champions League draw takeaways: Five intriguing matchups

The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League will mark the second year in a row that the most prestigious club tournament in world soccer will use its expanded format. 

Previously, 32 teams were divided into eight round robin groups with the top two in each advancing to the knockout round. 

But since last season, 36 teams compete in a single-table format with the top eight sides at the end of the first round automatically advancing to the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th in the standings will be paired off in a series of two-legged playoffs with the eight winners also moving on to the next round. Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated. 

Each team in the Champions League will play eight different opponents in eight matches (four home, four away) in the first round, otherwise known as the league phase. Thursday’s draw, held by UEFA at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, determined the league phase fixture list for all 36 clubs.  

The full schedule won’t be announced until Saturday. But we already know the first round will run from Sept. 16 to Jan. 28, 2026, followed by the playoffs (Feb. 17-25) and the start of the knockout stage with the round of 16 (March 10-18). This year’s final is slated for May 30 in Budapest. 

Here’s a look at five of the more interesting first-round matchups: 

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Tottenham 

It’ll be a battle between the reigning UEFA Champions League holders and UEFA Europa League champions when these teams from two of Europe’s biggest cities clash. PSG romped to a 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in last season’s final to win their first ever Champions League crown, while Tottenham hoisted the Europa League trophy after beating Manchester United 1-0 in an all-English final. 

PSG and Tottenham faced off earlier this month when the French powerhouse earned a shootout win over the London-based club in the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy. Spurs led 2-0 after 84 minutes and were seconds away from clinching a victory before PSG substitute Goncalo Ramos headed home an equalizer deep into injury time. The sting of that loss no doubt still hurts Tottenham, who’ll be keen to exact a measure of revenge on the reigning European kingpins. 

Juventus vs. Villarreal 

Two members of the Canadian men’s team who should feature prominently for their country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will go head-to-head when Juventus faces Villarreal. Forward Jonathan David was one of the hottest free agents this summer after his contract with French club Lille expired at the end of last season. The Canadian men’s team’s all-time top scorer (36 goals in 67 games) took his talents to Italy, signing with Turin giants Juventus and marked his debut for the Bianconeri last week when he scored the opener in a 2-0 win over Parma in the first week of the Serie A campaign. 

Not to be outdone is winger Tajon Buchanan, who joined Villarreal on a permanent basis in July after being loaned to the Spanish club by Italian outfit Inter Milan earlier this year. Buchanan (eight goals in 51 games for Canada) had a relatively quiet start to his tenure with Villarreal before scoring a hat-trick in last week’s 5-0 win over Girona in La Liga. In doing so, Buchanan became only the second Canadian men’s team player to score a hat-trick in one of Europe’s top five leagues this century. David did it three times with Lille in Ligue 1. 

Bayern Munich vs. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 

Two other Canadian players could square off against each other when Bayern Munich tangles with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Alphonso Davies, widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world, has been a mainstay at Bayern ever since joining the Bavarian club from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. But Canada’s captain has been sidelined since March after tearing his ACL and only recently started working out again. He should be back soon, and the hope is that he’ll once again be a pivotal player for Bayern. 

Following a move from Nõmme Kalju FC in Estonia, Canadian striker Promise David exploded for 24 goals and five assists in 41 games in all competitions last season and finished among the top scorers in the Belgian league with 19 goals. Two of his goals came in a 3-1 win over Gent on the final day of the playoffs to help Union Saint-Gilloise win its first league title in 90 years. Now he has a chance to prove himself in the Champions League against some of the best players in the world, including Davies (if he’s fit). 

Real Madrid vs. Kairat Almaty 

It’ll be the classic David vs. Goliath story when Real Madrid go on a 6,420-kilometre trip from the Spanish capital to take on Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. Los Blancos, of course, are the most successful team in the history of this tournament, winning it a record 15 times and finishing runner-up on three other occasions. Their last championship came in 2024 when they shut out Germany’s Borussia Dortmund in the final at London’s Wembley Stadium. 

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum is FC Kairat, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in its history when it defeated Scottish giants Celtic in a two-legged qualifying playoff series earlier this summer. The modest club was founded in 1954 when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. Kairat won the Kazakhstan Premier League in 2024 (their seasons run from March to late October/early November). 

Liverpool vs. Olympique Marseille 

Not too many Canadian players have ever had the chance to test themselves against the famous club from Anfield. But that’s the challenge that awaits defender Derek Cornelius when French side Olympique Marseille meets Liverpool.  

Cornelius has blossomed into one of Canada’s most important players since Jesse Marsch took over as national team coach last summer, and a strong showing at the 2024 Copa América paved the way for his transfer move from modest Swedish side Malmö FF to one of the biggest clubs in France. Cornelius has been a solid contributor for his new employers, helping Marseille to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and to qualify for the Champions League.