These are Bayern’s opponents in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League

FC Bayern can look forward to some exciting and high-profile fixtures in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League. As revealed by the draw on Thursday evening in Monaco, Germany's record champions will host Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt and Slavia Prague at the Allianz Arena. Away from home, the men from Munich will face Atlético Madrid, Manchester United, Lille and Viking Stavanger.

The exact dates and timings will be published by UEFA by Saturday 29 August. Once the exact kick-off times have been confirmed, it will be possible to make match-specific ticket enquiries for FC Bayern’s home and away matches.

Last year’s finalists are coming to Munich! Having faced Arsenal in the league phase last season, Bayern are now set for a rematch against the Gunners at the Allianz Arena. Despite last year’s defeat in London, the head-to-head record from a total of 15 meetings clearly favours the men from Munich, who have secured eight wins against the reigning English champions (three draws, four defeats). Finishing top of the Premier League last summer ended a 22-year title drought for the prestigious club. Their dream of Champions League glory was, however, dashed in a penalty shoot-out in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern's trip to Madrid will not only revive a classic European fixture; Vincent Kompany’s side will also get a taste of what it could be like to play in a final at the Estadio Metropolitano, the venue for this year’s Champions League final. Last season, the fourth-placed side in Spain’s LaLiga narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League final and were knocked out by Arsenal in the semis – now Diego Simeone’s side are dreaming of reaching the final on home soil. Of their eight clashes with the German record champions, Atlético have lost half, drawn two and won two.

FC Bayern are breaking new ground in their clash with Real Betis. The two sides will meet in European competition for the first time, which is likely down to the fact that this is only the Andalusians’ second appearance in the Champions League after the 2005/06 season. On that occasion, however, last season’s fifth-placed side in the Spanish league were knocked out in the group stage. On the domestic front, Betis have been somewhat overshadowed by the big clubs from Madrid and Barcelona; their greatest success of the past 20 years was winning the Copa del Rey in 2021.

After a two-year absence, three-time Champions League winners Manchester United are back in Europe’s premier club competition and, just as in the 2023/24 season, will face Bayern. The two sides have met 13 times in European competition – with the men from Munich winning six of those encounters (five draws, two defeats). The Red Devils secured their return to the Champions League with a third-place finish in the Premier League last season; however, the English record champions (20 league titles, level with Liverpool) have not enjoyed major success in the domestic league for some time – their last Premier League triumph was back in 2013.

One of the big surprises of the Champions League last season were Bodø/Glimt. Following a sensational run in the league phase, which culminated in wins over Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, the Norwegians qualified for the knockout stage. In the round of 32, Bodø/Glimt sensationally knocked out Inter Milan and were only narrowly defeated by Sporting Lisbon in extra time in the round of 16. In the domestic league, they failed to defend their title and had to settle for second place behind Viking Stavanger. However, via the play-offs, victories against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and, most recently, Nijmegen saw them qualify once again for the league phase of the Champions League.

Lille secured their berth in the Champions League with a third-place finish in Ligue 1. This year marks the northern French side’s ninth appearance in the competition. In the 2012/13 season, FC Bayern faced Lille in the group stage. On their way to a historic treble, the men from Munich won 1–0 in Lille and 6–1 in Munich. For Bayern, it will also be a reunion with a former player – Tanguy Nianzou has joined Lille for the coming season.

Slavia Prague qualified directly for the league phase of the Champions League as champions of Czechia. They’re taking part in the competition’s main round for the fourth time and will now face Bayern in their first competitive fixture at the Allianz Arena. Last season, the Czech side did make it to the league phase of the Champions League, but were knocked out after picking up just three points from eight matches. Domestically, Slavia are aiming to secure a hat-trick of three consecutive league titles.

This will be the first-ever meeting between FC Bayern and Viking Stavanger. The 2025 Norwegian champions qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time via the play-offs. Head coach Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim’s side pulled off a bit of a surprise win against Dinamo Zagreb, winning their home game 3–1 following a 2–2 draw in Zagreb. Last season, Viking FK secured the Norwegian Eliteserien title ahead of Bodø/Glimt after a thrilling run-in. Having previously taken part in the first round of the European Cup on several occasions, Viking Stavanger have reached the Champions League qualifiers once. In the 1992–93 season, however, the Norwegians were knocked out by Barcelona and failed to qualify for the group stage.

The matchdays in the league phase:

• Matchday 1: 8–10 September 2026
• Matchday 2: 13/14 October 2026
• Matchday 3: 20/21 October 2026
• Matchday 4: 3/4 November 2026
• Matchday 5: 24/25 November 2026
• Matchday 6: 8/9 December 2026
• Matchday 7: 19/20 January 2027
• Matchday 8: 27 January 2027

Bayern kick off the Bundesliga season with a home match against VfB Stuttgart on Friday – find out all you need to know about the match in our preview: