Real Madrid's 2025-26 Champions League Opponents Revealed: Who Will Challenge the Giants?

Following Real Madrid's second parting of ways with Carlo Ancelotti, Los Blancos have entrusted new head coach Xabi Alonso with securing the club's 16th European title.

Ancelotti captured three of those trophies during his two tenures at the Santiago Bernabéu and leaves behind big shoes to fill. However, Alonso brings his own pedigree at the highest level. As a player, he contributed to La Décima in 2013–14, while his revolutionary work as manager at previous club Bayer Leverkusen convinced Madrid to bring him in this summer—following his rejection of Liverpool the previous year.

Real Madrid supporters and leadership demand nothing short of Champions League excellence, so the consequences of failing to reach at least the semifinals, as Ancelotti discovered, can be severe.

Initially, eight league phase adversaries block Real Madrid's path to the knockout stages.

Complete Roster of Real Madrid's 2025–26 Champions League Adversaries

The league phase presents numerous contrasts for Real Madrid. Few fixtures will prove more challenging than the journey to Liverpool, which also marks an early homecoming to Anfield for Trent Alexander-Arnold. This represents the fifth consecutive year meeting Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. On the other side of that coin, Kairat Almaty celebrated simply reaching this stage for the first time—though an 8,000-mile journey to Kazakhstan won't suit the weak-willed.

Clashes with Benfica, Monaco, Marseille, Olympiacos, and even a Juventus team distant from its legendary era appear considerably more manageable.

2025–26 Champions League: Complete League Phase Calendar

The precise fixture schedule remains unconfirmed until Saturday, August 30. However, UEFA established the dates for each matchday in this season's league phase long ago.