2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase
International football club competition in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase began on 16 September 2025 and ended on 28 January 2026. A total of 36 teams competed in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League.
Bodø/Glimt, Kairat, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise made their debut appearances in the league phase/group stage, with Kairat, based in Almaty, becoming the easternmost team to ever qualify for the Champions League since the introduction of the group stage.[1] In addition, Bodø/Glimt, based in Bodø within the Arctic Circle, became the northernmost European team to ever compete in the Champions League.[2] This marked the first time a Norwegian team participated in the competition proper since the 2007–08 season.[3] This was also the first season since 2005–06 in which no Ukrainian sides qualified for the group stage/league phase.[4] After being drawn to play away against Sporting CP, Kairat broke the record for the longest trip in UEFA competitions, travelling 6,911 kilometres (4,294 mi) from Almaty to Lisbon.[5]
A total of 16 national associations were represented in the league phase.
Format
Each team played eight matches, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table. Teams were separated into four pots based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients, and each team played two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away. The top eight teams in the standings received a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th contested the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th were eliminated from European competition.
Tiebreakers
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[6]
While the league phase was in progress, teams were ranked according to criteria 1–5 only, and if still tied, were given equal ranking and sorted alphabetically. Criteria 6–10 were only used after the final matches took place.[7]
- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Away goals scored;
- Wins;
- Away wins;
- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;
- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;
- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;
- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card or expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Teams and seeding
The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each, with the Champions League title holders automatically placed as the top seed of pot 1. All remaining teams were allocated to pots based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[8][9] The participants included:
- 29 teams which entered at this stage
- 7 winners of the play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 2 from the League Path)
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Teams ranked 1 to 8 advanced to the round of 16 as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 9 to 16 advanced to the knockout phase play-offs as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 17 to 24 advanced to the knockout phase play-offs as an unseeded team |
|
|
|
|
Notes
- TH Champions League title holders (automatic top seed of pot 1)
- EL Europa League title holders
- CH Winners of the play-off round (Champions Path)
- LP Winners of play-off round (League Path)
Draw
The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 28 August 2025, 18:00 CEST.[10] All 36 teams were manually drawn using physical balls. For every team manually drawn, a guest on stage pressed a button for the automated software to digitally draw their opponents at random, determining which of their matches would be at home and which ones away. Each team faced two opponents from each of the four pots, one of which they faced at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. The draw started with Pot 1, assigning opponents to all teams, one after the other, and continued with the other pots in descending order until all teams were assigned their opponents.[11][12] Due to the number of English clubs competing in the League Phase, all non-English clubs in Pot 1 were required to draw two English fixtures to avoid deadlocking the draw.[13]
League phase table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Arsenal |
8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | +19 | 24 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) |
| 2 |  Bayern Munich |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 21 | |
| 3 | Liverpool |
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 18 | |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 17 | |
| 5 |  Barcelona |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 16 | |
| 6 | Chelsea |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 16 | |
| 7 |  Sporting CP |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 16 | |
| 8 | Manchester City |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 16 | |
| 9 | Real Madrid |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 15 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) |
| 10 |  Inter Milan |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 15 | |
| 11 |  Paris Saint-Germain |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 11 | +10 | 14 | |
| 12 | Newcastle United |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 14 | |
| 13 | Juventus |
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 13 | |
| 14 | Atlético Madrid |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 13 | |
| 15 | Atalanta |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 13 | |
| 16 | Bayer Leverkusen |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 12 | |
| 17 | Borussia Dortmund |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) |
| 18 |  Olympiacos |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 11 | |
| 19 |  Club Brugge |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 10 | |
| 20 |  Galatasaray |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 10 | |
| 21 | Monaco |
8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 10 | |
| 22 |  Qarabağ |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 21 | −8 | 10 | |
| 23 |  Bodø/Glimt |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 9 | |
| 24 | Benfica |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 9 | |
| 25 | Marseille |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 9 | |
| 26 |  Pafos |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 9 | |
| 27 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 9 | |
| 28 |  PSV Eindhoven |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 | |
| 29 | Athletic Bilbao |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 8 | |
| 30 | Napoli |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 8 | |
| 31 |  Copenhagen |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 8 | |
| 32 | Ajax |
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 6 | |
| 33 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 21 | −11 | 4 | |
| 34 |  Slavia Prague |
8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | −14 | 3 | |
| 35 | Villarreal |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 1 | |
| 36 |  Kairat |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 22 | −15 | 1 |
Results summary
Matches
The fixture list was announced on 30 August 2025, two days after the draw.[15][16][17] This was to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Europa League and Conference League playing in the same cities.
In principle, each team did not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and played one home match and one away match across both the first and last two matchdays. The matches were played on 16–18 September (exclusive week),[note 1] 30 September – 1 October, 21–22 October, 4–5 November, 25–26 November, 9–10 December 2025, 20–21 January and 28 January 2026. All matches were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for the competition's exclusive week, which also included Thursday fixtures. The scheduled kick-off times were generally 18:45 (two matches on each day) and 21:00 (remaining matches) CET/CEST. The only exception was the final matchday, where all fixtures were played simultaneously at 21:00.[18][6]
Times are CET or CEST,[note 2] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Matchday 1
| Athletic Bilbao | 0–2 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[19] |
|
| PSV Eindhoven | 1–3 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[21] |
|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[29] |
| Olympiacos | 0–0 | Pafos |
|---|---|---|
| Report[31] |
| Slavia Prague | 2–2 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[33] |
| Ajax | 0–2 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[35] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 4–0 | Atalanta |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[41] |
| Copenhagen | 2–2 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[45] |
|
| Manchester City | 2–0 | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
| Report[49] |
| Newcastle United | 1–2 | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[51] |
|
Matchday 2
| Atlético Madrid | 5–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[59] |
|
| Inter Milan | 3–0 | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[63] |
| Bodø/Glimt | 2–2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[65] |
|
| Galatasaray | 1–0 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report[67] |
| Qarabağ | 2–0 | Copenhagen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[73] |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 0–4 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
| Report[75] |
| Arsenal | 2–0 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[77] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1–1 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[81] |
|
| Borussia Dortmund | 4–1 | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[83] |
|
| Villarreal | 2–2 | Juventus |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[91] |
Matchday 3
| Arsenal | 4–0 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[97] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2–7 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
| Report[99] |
| Copenhagen | 2–4 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[101] |
|
| Newcastle United | 3–0 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Report[103] |
| PSV Eindhoven | 6–2 | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
| Report[105] |
|
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 0–4 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[107] |
|
| Villarreal | 0–2 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[109] |
| Galatasaray | 3–1 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[113] |
|
| Monaco | 0–0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Report[115] |
| Atalanta | 0–0 | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[117] |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 1–5 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[121] |
|
| Bayern Munich | 4–0 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[123] |
| Real Madrid | 1–0 | Juventus |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[125] |
Matchday 4
| Napoli | 0–0 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[131] |
| Atlético Madrid | 3–1 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
|---|---|---|
| Report[133] |
|
| Bodø/Glimt | 0–1 | Monaco |
|---|---|---|
| Report[135] |
|
| Juventus | 1–1 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[137] |
|
| Liverpool | 1–0 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[139] |
| Olympiacos | 1–1 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[141] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1–2 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[143] |
|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 | Copenhagen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[145] |
| Pafos | 1–0 | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[147] |
| Inter Milan | 2–1 | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[155] |
|
| Manchester City | 4–1 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[157] |
|
| Newcastle United | 2–0 | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Report[159] |
| Benfica | 0–1 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[163] |
|
Matchday 5
| Galatasaray | 0–1 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
|---|---|---|
| Report[167] |
|
| Borussia Dortmund | 4–0 | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[169] |
| Manchester City | 0–2 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[175] |
| Marseille | 2–1 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[177] |
|
| Slavia Prague | 0–0 | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Report[179] |
| Arsenal | 3–1 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[187] |
|
| Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[189] |
|
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–3 | Atalanta |
|---|---|---|
| Report[191] |
|
| Liverpool | 1–4 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[193] |
| Olympiacos | 3–4 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[195] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 5–3 | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Report[197] |
|
| Sporting CP | 3–0 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[199] |
Matchday 6
| Kairat | 0–1 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| Report[201] |
|
| Bayern Munich | 3–1 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[203] |
| Monaco | 1–0 | Galatasaray |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[205] |
| Atalanta | 2–1 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[207] |
|
| Barcelona | 2–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[209] |
|
| Inter Milan | 0–1 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report[211] |
|
| PSV Eindhoven | 2–3 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[213] |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–0 | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[217] |
| Villarreal | 2–3 | Copenhagen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[221] |
|
| Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
| Report[223] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2–2 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[225] |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2–2 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[227] |
| Club Brugge | 0–3 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[229] |
|
| Real Madrid | 1–2 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[233] |
Matchday 7
| Bodø/Glimt | 3–1 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[239] |
|
| Copenhagen | 1–1 | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[241] |
|
| Inter Milan | 1–3 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[243] |
|
| Olympiacos | 2–0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[245] |
| Real Madrid | 6–1 | Monaco |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[247] |
|
| Sporting CP | 2–1 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[249] |
|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[251] |
| Galatasaray | 1–1 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[255] |
|
| Qarabağ | 3–2 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[257] |
| Bayern Munich | 2–0 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
|---|---|---|
| Report[263] |
| Newcastle United | 3–0 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[267] |
| Slavia Prague | 2–4 | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[271] |
|
Matchday 8
| Arsenal | 3–2 | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[275] |
|
| Athletic Bilbao | 2–3 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[279] |
| Atlético Madrid | 1–2 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[281] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 3–0 | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[283] |
| Borussia Dortmund | 0–2 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[285] |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Report[289] |
|
| Barcelona | 4–1 | Copenhagen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[291] |
|
| Manchester City | 2–0 | Galatasaray |
|---|---|---|
| Report[295] |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1–1 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[299] |
|
| PSV Eindhoven | 1–2 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[301] |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 1–0 | Atalanta |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[303] |
| Benfica | 4–2 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[305] |
|
Notes
- As part of the scheduling for the 2025–26 UEFA men's club season, each competition had an "exclusive week" in the calendar, with no other competitions scheduled during this week. For the Champions League, this took place on matchday 1 (16–18 September 2025).
- Pafos played their home matches at Alphamega Stadium, Limassol, instead of their regular stadium, Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, Paphos, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Union Saint-Gilloise played their home matches at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels, instead of their regular stadium, Joseph Marien Stadium, Brussels, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Kairat played their last two league phase matches at Astana Arena, Astana, instead of their regular stadium, Central Stadium, Almaty, due to extreme winter weather conditions.