Actual Madrid will uncover their eight opponents within the 2026-27 Champions League league section on Thursday, with the draw probably including one other chapter to among the membership’s most enduring European rivalries.
This would be the third season of UEFA’s 36-team league format, which changed the standard group stage in 2024. Actual Madrid will play eight completely different opponents — 4 on the Santiago Bernabéu and 4 away — between the opening matchdays on September 8-10 and the ultimate, simultaneous spherical on January 27, 2027.
There are a number of restrictions constructed into the draw. Golf equipment can’t face groups from their very own home league through the league section and may be paired with not more than two opponents from some other nation. Which means Madrid can’t be drawn in opposition to Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal or Actual Betis, the opposite Spanish representatives on this season’s competitors.
UEFA’s automated draw system will finally be accountable for producing the 144 league-phase fixtures whereas respecting these restrictions.
There may be additionally a brand new wrinkle this season regarding repeat fixtures. UEFA’s laws stop the identical two golf equipment from enjoying on the identical venue within the league section for 3 consecutive seasons.
That’s notably related for Actual Madrid and Liverpool.
Madrid have travelled to Anfield in every of the primary two seasons underneath the league-phase format. Ought to Liverpool and Actual Madrid be paired collectively once more on Thursday, the fixture would due to this fact need to be performed on the Bernabéu relatively than Anfield.
The rule is designed to introduce extra selection into the competitors and forestall the expanded league section from producing precisely the identical matchups on the identical venues yr after yr.
Liverpool are solely one in all a number of acquainted names Madrid may encounter. Manchester Metropolis, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are among the many golf equipment with intensive Champions League historical past in opposition to Los Blancos.
Few rivalries have developed as quickly as Madrid’s with Manchester Metropolis.
The golf equipment didn’t meet in European competitors till the 2012-13 season, however have already performed 17 occasions. Metropolis have appeared on Madrid’s Champions League schedule in every of the previous 5 editions and 6 of the final seven.
That has made Manchester Metropolis the third-most frequent opponent Actual Madrid have confronted in European Cup historical past. Madrid’s report throughout these 17 video games stands at seven victories, 5 attracts and 5 defeats, with 30 objectives scored and 27 conceded.
Metropolis have already overtaken two historic Madrid opponents by way of conferences: AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, who’ve every confronted Los Blancos 16 occasions within the competitors.
Madrid’s historical past with Milan stretches all the best way again to the inaugural European Cup in 1956, when the groups met within the semi-finals, whereas Dortmund have repeatedly crossed paths with Madrid within the trendy Champions League period. Their most vital current assembly got here within the 2024 ultimate at Wembley, the place Madrid defeated Dortmund to safe their fifteenth European Cup.
Juventus sit above all three.
Actual Madrid and the Italian giants have met 22 occasions in European competitors, together with two finals. Madrid gained each: the 1998 ultimate in Amsterdam and the 2017 ultimate in Cardiff.
However even that rivalry falls in need of probably the most continuously performed fixture in Actual Madrid’s European historical past.
Actual Madrid and Bayern Munich have met 30 occasions.
The rivalry spans half a century, starting with their 1976 European Cup semi-final and most lately persevering with with final season’s Champions League quarter-final. The report may scarcely be nearer: Madrid and Bayern have every gained 13 of the 30 conferences, with 4 attracts. Madrid have scored 49 objectives to Bayern’s 48.
The Germans had the higher hand in the newest installment. Bayern gained 2-1 on the Bernabéu within the first leg of the 2025-26 quarter-finals earlier than a outstanding 4-3 victory in Munich accomplished a 6-4 combination elimination of Madrid.
Through the years, the 2 golf equipment have encountered one another at just about each stage of the competitors, together with the group stage, spherical of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals. The 1999-2000 marketing campaign was notably uncommon: Madrid and Bayern met 4 occasions in the identical version earlier than Los Blancos ultimately went on to win their eighth European Cup.
Thursday’s draw may deliver the rivalry again for a thirty first assembly.
Whether or not it’s Bayern, Metropolis, Juventus, Dortmund, Liverpool or a set of much less acquainted opponents, Madrid will quickly have their European roadmap for the primary half of the season.
And if Liverpool are amongst these eight names, there may be already one certainty: this time, the assembly will happen in Madrid.