Arsenal will face a compelling mixture of European heavyweights, familiar rivals and first-time opponents during the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah will visit Emirates Stadium, while the Gunners travel to Bayern Munich, Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague. Here is what you need to know about all eight opponents.
Real Madrid — Home
Qualified: Runners-up in Spain
Last meeting: Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal, 16 April 2025
Record: Played 4, Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 0
The 15-time European champions return to north London following Arsenal’s memorable 5-1 aggregate victory in the 2024/25 quarter-finals. Declan Rice scored two free-kicks in a 3-0 first-leg win before Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli secured a 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu.
Arsenal remain unbeaten against Madrid in competitive football, with six goals scored and only one conceded. José Mourinho has since returned for a second spell as Madrid coach. UEFA head-to-head
Bayern Munich — Away
Qualified: German champions
Last meeting: Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich, 26 November 2025
Record: Played 15, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 8
Bayern are our most familiar opponent in this draw. Arsenal defeated them 3-1 during last season’s league phase, with Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scoring at Emirates Stadium.
The return to Munich will be a different challenge. Bayern won their 35th Bundesliga title last season and reached the Champions League semi-finals, while Harry Kane remains the central figure in Vincent Kompany’s attack. UEFA head-to-head
Borussia Dortmund — Home
Qualified: Runners-up in Germany
Last competitive meeting: Arsenal 2-0 Dortmund, 26 November 2014
Record: Played 8, Won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 3
Goals from Yaya Sanogo and Alexis Sánchez gave Arsenal victory when the clubs last met competitively in 2014.
There was a more recent encounter during this summer’s Emirates Cup, when Dortmund won 3-2 despite goals from Ethan Nwaneri and Viktor Gyökeres. The 1997 European champions are coached by Niko Kovač, with Serhou Guirassy leading their attack. UEFA head-to-head
Real Betis — Away
Qualified: Fifth in Spain
Last meeting: Arsenal 1-3 Real Betis, 5 August 2026 — friendly
Competitive record: First meeting
The clubs met in Dublin during pre-season, where goals from Rodrigo Riquelme, Nelson Deossa and Pablo Fornals gave Betis a 3-1 win. Piero Hincapié scored for Arsenal.
This will be the first competitive meeting and Betis’ first Champions League campaign since 2005/06. With the Benito Villamarín being redeveloped, the match is expected to take place at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium. Former Gunner Héctor Bellerín could also face his old club.
Lille — Home
Qualified: Third in France
Last meeting: Never faced each other
Best Champions League performance: Round of 16
This will be Arsenal’s first-ever match against Lille. The French side reached the Champions League round of 16 in 2024/25 before playing in last season’s Europa League.
Their visit could bring Olivier Giroud back to Emirates Stadium. The former Gunner scored 105 goals during his six-and-a-half years in north London. Lille are now coached by Davide Ancelotti, son of former Madrid boss Carlo.
Napoli — Away
Qualified: Runners-up in Italy
Last meeting: Napoli 0-1 Arsenal, 18 April 2019
Record: Played 4, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 1
Alexandre Lacazette’s free-kick secured our most recent victory in Naples, completing a 3-0 aggregate success in the 2018/19 Europa League quarter-finals.
The clubs also met during the 2013/14 Champions League group stage, trading 2-0 home victories. Napoli are now managed by Massimiliano Allegri and possess plenty of Premier League experience, including Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Rasmus Højlund and Benoît Badiashile. UEFA head-to-head
Sabah — Home
Qualified: Play-off winners
Last meeting: Never faced each other
Best Champions League performance: Debut
Founded in 2017, Sabah are making their first appearance in the Champions League proper after winning the Azerbaijani league-and-cup double.
They eliminated The New Saints, KuPS, AGF and Hapoel Beer-Sheva during qualifying, overturning a first-leg deficit to defeat Hapoel 6-4 on aggregate. Serbian forward Veljko Simić scored six times across their eight qualifying matches. UEFA’s Sabah profile
Slavia Prague — Away
Qualified: Czech champions
Last meeting: Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal, 4 November 2025
Record: Played 5, Won 3, Drawn 2, Lost 0
Bukayo Saka’s penalty and a Mikel Merino brace earned Arsenal a comfortable victory in Prague last season.
The Gunners are unbeaten in five matches against Slavia, scoring 15 goals and conceding only once. That record includes a 7-0 Champions League win in 2007 and a 4-0 Europa League quarter-final victory in Prague in 2021. UEFA Champions League record
Eight different challenges
From Madrid and Bayern’s European pedigree to Sabah’s remarkable debut, the draw presents Arsenal with eight very different assignments.
There are difficult trips to Munich, Seville, Naples and Prague, while Emirates Stadium will host two former European champions and two opponents Arsenal have never previously faced at home. For a side determined to return to the final, the challenge begins immediately.