Arsenal will face Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League league stage following Thursday's draw in Monaco.
The Premier League champions have been handed a challenging fixture list alongside rivals Manchester City as Mikel Arteta's side aim to go one step further than last season's final defeat.
Gunners legend Thierry Henry oversaw the ceremony in Monte Carlo, where 36 teams discovered their opponents for the revamped league format.
Arsenal were beaten in a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out by Paris Saint-Germain in last season's final. Arteta's team will now begin another campaign aiming to reach the final, which will be held at the home stadium of Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal face Real Madrid and Bayern Munich
Arsenal's home fixtures in north London include a marquee clash against Real Madrid, who feature England midfielder Jude Bellingham and manager Jose Mourinho. The Spanish side also bring winger Vinicius Junior, a player Arsenal missed out on in the transfer market.
Declan Rice and his Arsenal teammates will travel to Bavaria to face Bayern Munich and prolific former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
Arteta's side will also face stiff tests against German club Borussia Dortmund, Spanish team Real Betis, French side Lille, and Italian club Napoli. Relatively straightforward fixtures await against Azerbaijani minnows Sabah and Czech side Slavia Prague.
Manchester City draw PSG and Barcelona
Manchester City will enter the tournament without Pep Guardiola at the helm for the first time in a decade. New manager Enzo Maresca faces a daunting schedule as City look to navigate their eight league stage matches.
City will host reigning Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium. Maresca's side will also travel to Spain for a high-profile fixture against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
The Premier League side must also contend with Portuguese duo Sporting Lisbon and Porto, alongside German club Leipzig and Italian team Napoli. Greek outfit AEK Athens and French side Lens complete a tough fixture list for City.
Manchester United return after two years
Manchester United are returning to Europe's top club competition following a two-year absence under manager Michael Carrick. Currently sitting on 293 matches played in the competition, United are set to become the first English team to play more than 300 Champions League fixtures.
Carrick's side will entertain Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in a repeat of the memorable 1999 Champions League final. Italian club Roma, who were crushed 7-1 at Old Trafford in 2007, will also visit Manchester.
United supporters face attractive away trips to Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid, and Italian side Como, who are managed by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Spanish side Villarreal, German club Leipzig, and Azerbaijan's Sabah complete United's eight scheduled matches.
Liverpool and Aston Villa learn opponents
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will be pleased with how the draw unfolded in Monte Carlo. The Merseyside club will host Atletico Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, and Lens at Anfield.
On their travels, Liverpool will face Italian giants Inter Milan, Belgian club Club Brugge, Turkish side Fenerbahce, and Austrian team LASK.
Europa League champions Aston Villa enter the tournament following a difficult start to their domestic season, having suffered a 4-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Unai Emery's side will host Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, and Norwegian club Viking at Villa Park. Villa will also travel to face Barcelona, Club Brugge, Turkish side Galatasaray, and Slavia Prague.
Mason Greenwood sets up English return
Fenerbahce forward Mason Greenwood could make his first appearance on English soil since January 2022. The 24-year-old Bradford-born player last featured in England for Manchester United before being suspended following his arrest on suspicion of rape.
After criminal charges against Greenwood were dropped a year later, he was loaned to Spanish club Getafe before completing a permanent transfer to French side Marseille. Greenwood moved to Turkish club Fenerbahce during the summer transfer window.
Greenwood will travel to Birmingham with Fenerbahce to play Aston Villa, and could also head to London to face Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.
Shakhtar play at Stamford Bridge
Shakhtar Donetsk are playing their home Champions League matches at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in London due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. UEFA regulations mandate that a minimum of five per cent of tickets must go to away fans, with no maximum limit, helping the Ukrainian club secure vital financial revenue.
Along with Fenerbahce, Stamford Bridge will host Shakhtar's home fixtures against Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, and AEK Athens.
The draw also features notable managerial reunions. Cesc Fabregas will return to former club Barcelona with Como, while Jose Mourinho will lead Real Madrid back to Roma, where he was sacked in 2024 after two years in charge.
Celtic ousted as knockout format set
Scottish champions Celtic missed out on the league stage following a dramatic play-off collapse under manager Martin O'Neill. Austrian side LASK overturned a four-goal deficit in the second leg to eliminate Celtic. LASK will now host Liverpool and travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to play Real Madrid.
Under the Champions League format, 24 of the 36 participating teams will advance from the league stage. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the Round of 16 in March. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will compete in two-legged knockout play-offs in February, while the bottom 12 teams will be eliminated.
English clubs Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Brighton and Hove Albion will find out their European opponents when the draws for the Europa League and Europa Conference League take place on Friday.
