Man City's 2025-26 Champions League Opponents Revealed: Who Will Challenge the Citizens?

Manchester City are seeking redemption in this season's Champions League campaign.

Following their European triumph that completed a remarkable treble in the 2022–23 season, City have failed to progress past the quarter-finals in the Champions League.

During the previous campaign, Pep Guardiola's side endured a difficult inaugural league phase, securing victory in just three of their eight matches and barely qualifying for the knockout stages with a 22nd-place finish. Without seeding in the knockout play-off round, they were eventually eliminated by familiar adversaries Real Madrid.

However, 2025–26 represents a new beginning for a revamped City roster, and their European ambitions restart with eight teams to face in this initial phase.

Complete List of Man City's 2025–26 Champions League Adversaries

City appears unable to escape encounters with Real Madrid. A journey to the Santiago Bernabéu represents the fifth consecutive season these clubs will meet.

An emotional return at the Etihad Stadium with Kevin De Bruyne, who joined Napoli after his contract expired last season, also lies ahead in what promises to be a challenging league phase, featuring Galatasaray, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and current La Liga frontrunners Villarreal.

Road matches against Monaco and Bodø/Glimt present their own difficulties, particularly the latter which could involve playing within the Arctic Circle during winter months, subject to the fixture schedule.

2025–26 Champions League: Complete League Phase Calendar

The precise fixture schedule will remain unconfirmed until Saturday, August 30. However, UEFA has previously announced the dates for each matchday in this season's league phase.