UEFA Champions League Draw 2025/26: Liverpool Handed Nightmare Opponent
The Champions League draw for 2025/26 is done. Liverpool drew their nightmare opponent. Europe’s road just got steeper.
UEFA’s revamped league phase format now spans 36 teams, eliminates traditional groups, and replaces them with eight matches per club. Each team faces two opponents from each pot, once at home, once away. No same-country matchups allowed. The draw took place August 28, 2025, at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum.
Liverpool sits in Pot 1, among giants: PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern, Inter, Dortmund, Chelsea, and Barcelona.
Sports Illustrated lists their full potential slate: two of PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona from Pot 1; plus possible picks from Pot 2 (e.g. Atlético, Juventus), Pot 3 (e.g. Napoli, Ajax), and Pot 4 (e.g. Monaco, Galatasaray).
Worst-case scenario, according to analysts, stacks heavily against Liverpool: PSG, Barcelona, Atlético, Juventus, Napoli, Marseille, Galatasaray, Qarabağ—that is a true nightmare path.
Pre-draw simulations already painted a grim picture—matching Liverpool with Dortmund, Real Madrid, Ajax, and Monaco.
Draw Done. Liverpool’s Nightmare Trigger Pulled.
The curtain fell on August 28, 2025. The new league-phase draw has set Liverpool on a collision course through Europe. Their pot is stacked. Their possible foes are elite. No comfort remains for fans.
The new system forces every team into eight unique battles. Liverpool must weave through a minefield without drawing a fellow English side. Pot constraints mean a handshake with a champion is imminent.
Potential opponents read like a who’s-who of elite football. PSG—who knocked Liverpool out last season. Real Madrid. Bayern. Dortmund. Barcelona. Then beyond them, Juventus. Atlético. Ajax. Monaco. The stakes are sky high.
For every nightmare, there is an alternative—but slim. Analysts say avoiding monsters like PSG, Barcelona, Napoli, Marseille only happens in dreams. Simulations back that gloom.
Fixtures start mid-September. Each match will feel like a final. Every point matters. Every performance counts. Liverpool is set to show if they’re still Europe’s elite—or something less.
This is not a hopeful slog. It’s a gauntlet. And Liverpool are walking straight into it.