The draw for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League was made in Monaco on Friday with PSG handed a tough defence. Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain will play Bayern Munich and Barcelona in this season's league phase and record 15-times winners Real Madrid will face Manchester City and Liverpool. PSG's easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be fixtures against England's Newcastle United and Spain's Athletic Bilbao.
Record 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid have been given a daunting draw for this season's competition after being handed matchups against Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City on Thursday. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain also face a tough journey in order to make it to the knockout phase with matchups against the champions of Spain, Barcelona, and German champions Bayern Munich as well as Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
It will be the second time a draw takes place under the new format, which sees all 36 teams in one league table. The draw will begin at 5 p.m. UK / midday ET, with the first fixtures scheduled for Sept. 16-18. UEFA is expected to publish the full order of matches on Saturday. The league phase will stretch into January, with all 18 games on the final matchday on Jan. 28 being played at the same time.
Holders Paris Saint-Germain will be joined by 35 other teams in the hat for the Champions League draw. When is the draw? It takes place on Thursday, Aug. 28 in Monaco. The draw ceremony will begin at noon ET / 5 p.m. UK. Last year, in the first of the new league phase format, the draw took 75 minutes with UEFA also presenting the 2024-25 awards as part of the ceremony.
"Cole is always so calm, so I don't think you can really see a difference on his face. But obviously everyone is really, very happy. I'm sure he is as well."