The draw for the Champions League league phase 2026/27 in Monaco divided the clubs not just into pairs, but into two camps: those who received a relatively balanced schedule, and those who will have to go through the 'group of death' already in the first rounds.
Arsenal and Real Madrid were among the main beneficiaries. The Gunners will play at home against Real, and away they will face Bayern — but overall their fixture list looks balanced. Real, meanwhile, avoided meetings with City and Liverpool, getting Inter, PSV, and Roma in relatively comfortable conditions.
PSG, the reigning champions, on the contrary, received one of the toughest schedules: Barcelona at home, Manchester City away, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, and Villarreal. Manchester City were also unlucky — two top matches against PSG and Barcelona right at the start.
In the new league format, where each team plays eight matches, what matters is not only the quality of the opponents, but also their distribution across the rounds. Clubs with a dense schedule of big games risk losing points before they even get into form. Arsenal and Real, it seems, will be able to alternate difficult and easier matches, keeping their key players fresh.
Imagine a marathon runner who at the start runs against two world champions in a row, and then gets a week of rest: that is exactly what PSG's schedule looks like compared to Real's. Psychologically and physically, it is a huge difference.
The draw showed that in the expanded Champions League format, success increasingly depends not only on the squad, but also on the ability of the federation and the club to plan the workload. Those who got a smooth path already look closer to the final in Madrid in June 2027.
