Paris Saint-Germain became the name that got etched on the Champions League trophy once again as Luis Enrique’s side retained the title successfully in Budapest, Hungary, in May. A goal down inside six minutes, PSG showed great spirit in coming back into the game in the second half and eventually defeated a stubborn Arsenal team on penalties to win the final.
The Ligue 1 giants are now eye to be just the second team in modern Champions League history to win the crown three times in a row, which will only add to their incredible upsurge in Europe in the last two seasons. The challenge, as usual, will be tough in Europe’s premier club competition, with the elites snatching every chance to dethrone them after significantly strengthening themselves this summer.
The 2026-27 Champions League Phase will throw a hard challenge, combining heavyweight clashes with tricky outings. PSG will lock horns against Slovan Bratislava, Manchester City, Barcelona, Villarreal, Roma, Aston Villa, Como and Galatasaray in an intense schedule at this stage.
However, this is a road that PSG has travelled in the back-to-back title-winning campaign. The Parisians failed to qualify for the Round of 16 directly after the format change, yet turned up the gear in the crucial knockout stages to end with the medal around their neck. The holders will be keen to make more history in the new Champions League season.
PSG Champions League 2026-27 Opponents
Slovan Bratislava (Home)
The start of the 2026-27 League Phase will be relatively easy for Paris Saint-Germain, as they will face the most comfortable opponents on paper in Slovan Bratislava. Managed by Yaya Toure, the club is competing at this stage for just the second time, having navigated themselves through the playoffs by fending off a strong challenge from Slovenian outfit NK Celje. Their last League Phase campaign ended in disappointment as they finished second to last in the 36-team table in the 2024-25 season by losing all eight games and were smashed heavily by the competition elites.
They also finished as low as 29th in the Conference League last season. So even with the change of management this summer, with Yaya putting the club back on the big stage, they are unlikely to upset the back-to-back winners of the competition, that too travelling to Paris for the opening week fixture.
Manchester City (Away)
However, the Ivorian’s former employers, Manchester City, will pose a significant threat, even without their legendary manager, Pep Guardiola, no longer in the hot seat. This will be the biggest challenge the Parisians are expected to face in away games in the competition. To be fair, the holders have an excellent record against English teams in the last two seasons, including beating one, Arsenal, albeit on penalties, to defend their title in Budapest last May.
PSG also stifled City in their last meeting, which came at this stage on the course of lifting their first trophy. However, that one came at home, while their record at the Etihad is utterly poor, having lost all three visits there. City have also begun their life under Enzo Maresca excellently and have invested heavily to build a strong team despite losing their star player, Rodri. Hence, it will be a colossal challenge for PSG.
FC Barcelona (Home)
After facing the Premier League brawlers, they will greet another giant in FC Barcelona at the Parc des Princes. The story of the Catalan giants for the season is quite similar to City's, as they have also splashed the cash to bring in excellent attacking talents while also surprising everyone by snatching the 2026 World Cup’s Best Player, Rodri, under the noses of their rivals Real Madrid.
Possessing many members of that competition-winning squad of Spain while adding depth to their star-studded attack, Barcelona will be one of the top favourites to dethrone themselves this season. However, PSG will boast World Cup winners too after grabbing the winning goalscorer, Ferran Torres, from the La Liga outfit, so it will be quite a reunion, as is the case with coach Luis Enrique, who already beat his ex-club last season. But his men have often struggled in this fixture at home, amid some famous victories, making this next chapter of the rivalry a must-watch.
Villarreal CF (Away)
Weathering the storm, PSG will face a less-intense schedule, but it will still be filled with tricky fixtures. They will face another La Liga opponent, Villarreal CF, in their fourth League Phase game, travelling to Spain this time for their second away match of the continental campaign. The Yellow Submarines are playing in this format for back-to-back seasons after securing another top-four finish, ending in third above Atletico Madrid, in another spectacular domestic campaign.
However, they struggled massively in Europe last season, finishing 35th and earning just a point in eight games. They will be desperate to change their fate this time but will have to tackle Dortmund, Napoli and Liverpool’s challenge before this fixture, making it a mighty tough outing. It will be a surprise if the Parisians don’t take advantage in the first meeting between these two.
AS Roma (Home)
The returning AS Roma, managed by Gian Piero Gasperini, could be a banana skin on the way. Under the expert coach, the Giallorossi had a magnificent Serie A campaign, finishing third and securing Champions League football for the first time after six long years. Their fortunes were completely turned by one signing, Donyell Malen, in the winter window, with him expected to be a menace in Europe’s premier club competition and to PSG in that respect.
That said, a Gasperini-led Atalanta lost to PSG, managed then by England national team boss Thomas Tuchel, but made a dramatic late comeback in 2020 in the one-off quarterfinal played at a centralised venue due to the pandemic. Moreover, this is a daunting visit for Roma to Paris for the first-ever meeting against the holders of the competition.
Aston Villa (Away)
The only English team that, if it had not prevailed in the tie, managed to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the last two seasons was Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. They triumphed in the quarterfinal second leg of the 2024-25 season, in which Enrique’s men eventually took the trophy home for the first time. However, the 3-2 comeback victory from 2-0 down at Villa Park was not enough for Emery’s side to progress, having lost the first leg 3-1 in Paris. Now the consecutive-time champions travel there in what would be their challenging test in the latter stage of the League Phase.
Aston Villa have lost their core this summer, which helped them qualify for the Champions League twice in three seasons and lift the Europa League title last season. Yet, they have replaced them with promising talents to maintain their established productive project. Hence, PSG have to be cautious and cannot take this fixture lightly in any circumstance.
Como (Away)
The final away game of the League Phase could be a tricky fixture despite Como being a newcomer. The side that was on the verge of bankruptcy seven years ago while playing in Serie D will now play in Europe’s premier club competition after finishing in the top four in Italy’s first division last season. That too, finishing ahead of giants like Juventus and AC Milan. Their incredible achievement was masterminded by the legendary midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who has now turned himself into an upcoming world-class manager.
Como will face severe challenges in the form of Barcelona and Manchester United, aside from facing PSG among their League Phase games, but will want to upset the big sides at home by making their renovated Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium a fortress. However, the Parisians have gained the mentality to survive in hostile atmospheres, and this fixture won’t be any different.
Galatasaray (Home)
The final opponent to face for PSG is the Turkish giants Galatasaray, who will travel to the French capital. Gala are playing in the League Phase for the second straight season and had an excellent campaign last time out, reaching the Round of 16 stage by shocking Juventus in the knockout playoffs and almost creating another surprise against Liverpool. They will want to pull another upset over Enrique’s men to put a dent in whatever place they will be fighting for in the 36-team table. However, doing that in the opposition den will be a mountain to climb.
Their record against PSG is also grim, as after beating them in the first meeting played in Istanbul back in 2000, they went on to lose the next three meetings without scoring a goal. The last meeting of this fixture happened in the 2019-20 season in Paris, where the home side demolished their opponents 5-0. There are almost no signs for PSG to panic about.
PSG Champions League 2026-27 Fixtures
Thursday, 10 September 2026
PSG vs Slovan Bratislava - Parc des Princes, Paris (00:30)
Thursday, 15 October 2026
Manchester City vs PSG - Etihad Stadium, Manchester (00:30)
Wednesday, 21 October 2026
PSG vs FC Barcelona - Parc des Princes, Paris (00:30)
Wednesday, 4 November 2026
Villarreal CF vs PSG - Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal (01:30)
Thursday, 26 November 2026
PSG vs AS Roma - Parc des Princes, Paris (01:30)
Wednesday, 9 December 2026
Aston Villa vs PSG - Villa Park, Birmingham (01:30)
Thursday, 21 January 2027
Como vs PSG - Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como (01:30)
Thursday, 28 January 2026
PSG vs Galatasaray - Parc des Princes, Paris (01:30)