Champions League Draw Revealed: “Polarized” Challenges, Thrills Surpass Even the Toughest Schedules

By Hanbing In the early hours of August 29 Beijing time, the new season Champions League draw was held in Monaco. For the fifth straight season, Real Madrid faces Manchester City, extending the “aesthetic fatigue” among top European clubs. Paris Saint-Germain and Eintracht Frankfurt found themselves the “unluckiest” in the first and second seed pots respectively. However, two newcomers — Almaty Courage from Kazakhstan and Bodø/Glimt from Norway — bring the greatest uncertainty to this season’s group stage. The extreme challenges of great distance and severe cold may have a bigger impact on qualification than even the toughest fixtures.

This season’s Champions League map stretches to record extremes at both the northernmost and easternmost points. Almaty, deep in Central Asia, marks the farthest east, while Bodø/Glimt shines within the Arctic Circle to the north. The long trip to Almaty and the final four winter rounds inside the Arctic Circle are unprecedented challenges. Real Madrid and Club Brugge face the ultra-long distance test, while Monaco and Juventus, near the Mediterranean, confront the northernmost limits.

Newcomer Almaty Courage got relatively favorable opponents, with third and fourth seed teams not among the strongest. Greek powerhouse Olympiacos and another newcomer Pafos also drew away matches against Almaty, involving about a 4,400-kilometer flight, which is comparatively fortunate versus the journeys of Real Madrid and Club Brugge.

A decade ago, Atlético Madrid met the then-furthest FC Astana in the group stage, ending with a 0-0 draw. Olympiacos also secured an away draw at FC Astana in the 2016/17 Europa League group stage. Now Real Madrid will face an even longer away trip than their city rivals: over 6,500 kilometers flying from Madrid to Almaty, taking approximately 12 hours. This means the round trip alone consumes nearly a full day, and including rest, almost three days in total.

However, Villarreal triumphed in away matches at FC Astana during the 2014/15 and 2017/18 Europa League seasons. With Real Madrid’s superior strength, there is little cause for concern. For Almaty Courage, hosting Real Madrid will be the most high-profile match in club history. Real Madrid fans in China might even consider traveling from Xinjiang to witness the closest Champions League match involving their team.

Since the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League season, Bodø/Glimt has achieved an impressive 13 consecutive home wins inside the Arctic Circle. This includes a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Serie A giant Roma and a 2-0 quarterfinal win against Lazio in the 2024/25 Europa League, sounding a warning to Juventus. Tottenham, who also drew an Arctic Circle away match, have recent experience winning 2-0 in last season’s Europa League semifinals. Bodø/Glimt has lost two home matches to English Premier League teams (one to Arsenal), so psychologically they are not favored. This also benefits Manchester City, who will play away in similar conditions.

The detailed Champions League schedule will be announced on August 30, two days after the draw, aiming to minimize inconvenience to teams. It is expected that Bodø/Glimt, facing temperatures between -5°C and -15°C, will have as few winter home matches as possible. In fact, Almaty’s average winter temperatures are not even warmer than Bodø’s, and the schedule will take this into account.

The group stage draw results in Real Madrid and Manchester City meeting for the fifth consecutive season. Since 2021/22, they have played eight Champions League matches against each other, the highest number of encounters between two top clubs in this period. Real Madrid also faces another old rival, Juventus. These two European giants have met 22 times in the Champions League and Club World Cup, and just this summer clashed again in North America. Besides home matches against these old foes, Real Madrid will travel to face the record-signing English champions Liverpool and endure the ultra-long away trip to Almaty. For Alonso in his debut season, the Champions League starts at full intensity.

Paris Saint-Germain and Eintracht Frankfurt’s “bad luck” lies in the strength of their opponents. The defending champions face giants Bayern and Barcelona, plus strong teams like Tottenham, Atalanta, Newcastle United, Athletic Bilbao, Bayer Leverkusen, and Sporting Lisbon — all top clubs from six major leagues and regular Champions League participants, making PSG’s draw the toughest in the first pot. Frankfurt drew Liverpool, Barcelona, Napoli, the heavily reinforced Turkish champions Galatasaray, Atalanta, Atlético Madrid, and Premier League heavyweight Tottenham. Considering their own strength, Frankfurt’s path to the next stage will be very challenging.

Barcelona’s schedule is relatively easier, with only Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea as top-tier opponents. Arsenal, in the second pot, also had a good draw, playing Bayern and Atlético Madrid at home and receiving a “big gift” hosting Almaty Courage. Bayer Leverkusen, under former Manchester United coach Ten Hag, underwent major summer changes and will face PSG and Manchester City, offering the Dutch coach a chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, De Bruyne, newly joined Napoli this summer, will return as an opponent to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, a highly anticipated event.

The four Champions League newcomers — San Gilloise, Pafos, Bodø/Glimt, and Almaty Courage — generally had favorable draws. Almaty Courage’s only big-name home opponent is Real Madrid, which is a slight disappointment, but they will enjoy top-level matches at iconic venues like Milan’s San Siro and London’s Emirates Stadium.

Notably, the Opta supercomputer’s predictions differ somewhat from media and fan opinions. Besides Paris Saint-Germain, it rates Bayern, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, Newcastle United, Atlético Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen as having relatively tough schedules. The easiest schedules, aside from Arsenal, are predicted for Pafos, Copenhagen, and Tottenham.

Regarding title odds, record-signing Liverpool and Barcelona top the list jointly at 7.00. Despite a tough draw, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain remain highly favored at 7.50, followed by Arsenal at 8.00 with an easier schedule. Real Madrid (9.00) ranks fifth despite a difficult path, Manchester City sixth at 10.00, and Club World Cup champions Chelsea and Bayern tied for seventh at 13.00. These eight clubs form the top tier contenders.