Real Madrid were unable to defend their Champions League crown a season ago and will be hungry to return to Europe’s summit.
There’s few love stories in the sport more romantic than the bond between Real Madrid and the Champions League. Los Blancos are the undisputed kings of Europe’s premier club competition and are the most successful side in history, winning it 15 times.
But in 2024–25, Real Madrid failed to meet their lofty standards. Kylian Mbappé finally made his highly-anticipated move to the Santiago Bernabéu and the expectation was to conquer a 16th Champions League trophy. Then, in the quarterfinals, Declan Rice and Arsenal abruptly stunned the competition’s historic Goliath.
In comes Xabi Alonso for his debut season on Los Blancos’s touchline. It’s true Alonso will be tasked with trying to dethrone Barcelona in every major domestic competition, but much of the success of his first campaign will be judged by his team’s performance in Europe.
Here’s a look at Real Madrid’s potential opponents in the Champions League league phase, where they’ll look to start rekindling what Florentino Pérez described as a well-known love story.
What 2025–26 Champions League Pot Are Real Madrid In?
As expected, Real Madrid are in the Champions League Pot 1, as are bitter rivals Barcelona. However, rules state teams from the same country can’t face each other in the opening round of European competitions, discarding a possibility of a league phase El Clásico.
Real Madrid’s eight league phase matchups will see them face two teams from each pot, four on the road and four at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Alonso’s side will also avoid fellow La Liga sides Villarreal, Athletic Club and city rivals Atlético Madrid. However, all six Premier League representatives are on the table for Los Blancos. Their destiny will be decided during the Champions League league phase draw on Thursday.
Real Madrid’s 2025–26 Potential Champions League League Phase Opponents
*Ferencváros (pot 4) vs. Qarabağ (pot 4), Basel (pot 4) vs. Copenhagen (pot 4), Fenerbahçe (pot 3) vs. Benfica (pot 2) and Rangers (pot 3) vs. Club Brugge (pot 2) will complete their playoff ties on Wednesday, Aug 27.
Real Madrid will like their chances against any of their 31 potential opponents.
In Pot 1, despite not being able to face Barcelona, there are plenty of mouthwatering possible matchups. Real Madrid could face Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund. Los Blancos have faced six of these seven teams on their journey to their two most recent European trophies.
With two La Liga teams in Pot 2, Real Madrid only have five confirmed potential opponents from this pot, though another will be added by Thursday’s draw and a possible rival could be Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur. A prospective clash with Arsenal is enticing, as well as Alonso facing his former club Bayer Leverkusen. Other potential options include Atalanta, Juventus and Eintracht Frankfurt.
In Pot 3, Serie A champions Napoli stand out. They’re joined by PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Marseille and Bodø/Glimt.
Many of the teams left to secure their spot in the league phase will join Pot 4. Right now, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Newcastle United, Pafos and Kairat are Los Blancos’s possible rivals.
Real Madrid’s Toughest Potential 2025–26 Champions League League Phase Opponents
Real Madrid know that to be the best in Europe you have to beat the best in Europe. However, avoiding a clash with holders PSG—who ran circles around Los Blancos in the 2025 Club World Cup—would be preferred.
The stacked squad of Premier League juggernaut Liverpool, who also defeated Los Blancos a season ago, could be a very difficult task.
Declan Rice’s two stunning free-kicks in the quarterfinals guided Arsenal’s two-leg domination of Real Madrid. The wounds of that defeat haven’t fully healed in Spain’s capital, so Alonso’s side might be better off avoiding the Gunners in the league phase as a Pot 2 opponent.
Things get a bit lighter after that, though it would feel awfully unlucky to have to face Serie A champions Napoli as a Pot 3 rival considering the other more favorable options.
Los Blancos would like their chances against any team from Pot 4, but Newcastle away, under the lights of a rocking and hostile St James’ Park, might be a trip worth avoiding. Just ask Mbappé how he fared when he visited the Magpies with PSG two seasons ago.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025–26 Champions League Draw: Real Madrid’s Potential League Phase Opponents.
