FC Bayern now knows its eight opponents in the preliminary round of Europe’s premier soccer competition. There are some real crackers among them. Nevertheless, the goal is to qualify directly for the round of 16.

FC Bayern Munich will face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, club world champions Chelsea FC, and FC Arsenal, the third top club, in the Champions League group stage. The German soccer champions will also play Club Brugge, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise from Belgium, and Cyprus champions Pafos FC. This was the result of the draw in Monaco. Bayern were seeded in pot one. As was the case in the premiere of the new Champions League format last season, each of the 36 participants will again play four games at home and four away. The schedule has yet to be drawn up. The first match day will take place from September 16 to 18. The preliminary round will conclude with the eighth matchday on January 28, 2026. The top eight teams in the final table will qualify directly for the round of 16. The clubs in places 9 to 24 will compete in an intermediate round with home and away matches to advance. For the teams in 25th to 36th place, the international season is over. The final will take place on May 30, 2026, in Budapest. Once again, there is a lot of money at stake, with the entry fee alone amounting to €18.62 million per club. Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund will also face formidable opponents such as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

BVB will also face City, Inter Milan, Tottenham, and Juventus Turin.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League opponents

Paris Saint-Germain (H)

Manchester City (A)

FC Villarreal (H)

Benfica Lisbon (A)

PSV Eindhoven (H)

Olympiakos Piraeus (A)

Newcastle United (H)

FC Copenhagen (A)

Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League opponents

Inter Milan (H)

Manchester City (A)

FC Villarreal (H)

Juventus Turin (A)

FK Bodö/Glimt (H)

Atalanta Bergamo (H)

Atlético Madrid (A)

Tottenham Hotspur (H)

SSC Napoli (A)

Galatasaray Istanbul (H)

Qarabag Agdam (A)