FC Porto and Sporting CP have been drawn against Premier League opposition in the regular phase of the UEFA Champions League, following the draw held in Monaco.
Both Portuguese clubs face demanding fixtures against three English sides in the league phase, with Sporting set theoretically for the tougher path after drawing Manchester City, Manchester United, and Barcelona.
Sporting will host Manchester United at home in Lisbon, marking a reunion with their former midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international played for Sporting before moving to Old Trafford.
The Lisbon club will also travel to face English champions Manchester City, while playing Spanish heavyweights Barcelona, Turkish champions Galatasaray, and Austrian side LASK at home.
For their remaining away fixtures, Sporting will travel to face Italian club Roma, French side Lens, and Ukrainian team Shakhtar. The away match against Shakhtar will take place at Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge in London.
FC Porto fixtures
FC Porto will host Manchester City at home in their premier fixture of the regular phase, while traveling to England to face Liverpool.
The Porto side will also host Dutch club PSV, Italian outfit Napoli, and Czech side Slavia Prague in Portugal. Their away schedule includes trips to Spain to play Real Betis, to the Netherlands to face Feyenoord, and to Austria to take on LASK.
League phase format and fixture dates
Under the Champions League format, 36 teams compete in a single league table during the regular phase. The top eight teams in the final standings will automatically qualify for the round of 16.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th place will enter a two-legged play-off round to secure a spot in the last 16. The teams finishing from 25th to 36th position will be eliminated from the competition.
The regular phase will run from September 2026 to January 2027 across eight matchdays. The opening fixtures will take place on September 8, 9, and 10, followed by matchday two on October 13 and 14, and matchday three on October 20 and 21.
Action continues in November with matchday four on November 3 and 4, and matchday five on November 24 and 25. The final matches of the calendar year will be played on December 8 and 9 for matchday six.
The regular phase concludes in early 2027, with matchday seven scheduled for January 19 and 20, and matchday eight taking place on January 27. The exact dates for each fixture will be announced on Saturday.
