Barcelona’s possible opponents in the 2025/26 Champions League | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League will adopt its new format for the second time starting this September, and all eyes are on today’s draw to see who Barcelona will face.

The updated system guarantees each club eight matches in the first stage, with fixtures spread across opponents from four different pots.

One of the key rules is that teams from the same country cannot face each other in this early phase.

That means Barcelona will avoid Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club for now.

Another restriction is that clubs can only play against two sides from one country.

For example, Barça could meet Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, but would then be blocked from drawing Eintracht Frankfurt.

Barcelona’s possible opponents

Pot 1 is loaded with European heavyweights. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund are all in the mix.

Real Madrid also sit in this group, but they are off-limits due to the same-country rule.

Pot 2 brings another tough set of challenges. Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge and Benfica could all line up against Barça.

Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are also in this pot, but cannot be drawn against the Catalan giants.

The third pot is just as competitive. It includes the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodø/Glimt, Marseille and Tottenham.

Finally, Pot 4 is far from straightforward. Clubs such as Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat Almaty, Copenhagen and Qarabag are all possible opponents.

Barcelona will know their opponents today. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)

Athletic Club are also in this pot but will not face Barça in this stage.

So this is how the list of opponents looks like:

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 3

Pot 4