Real Madrid and Barcelona: Who came out better after the 2026/27 Champions League draw?

The 2026 World Cup is now part of the past, but international soccer has a new story waiting to be written. This time, the spotlight returns to the clubs, with the Champions League beginning to reveal some of the matchups that could shape the season.

Real Madrid and Barcelona now know the eight teams they will face in the league phase of the 2026/27 edition , following Thursday’s draw in Monaco. And while it is still far too early to talk about favorites, simply looking at the names on their respective schedules reveals a difference that immediately stands out.

While one team will have to prepare to host Inter and travel to Arsenal, the other will face Manchester City, PSG and a difficult trip to Galatasaray .

The question, then, almost asks itself: who got the easier path?

Real Madrid already know their eight opponents

The Merengue side, led by José Mourinho , will play four matches at home and four away during this opening stage of the Champions League.

At home, they will face Inter, PSV, RB Leipzig and LASK . The matchup against the Italian side stands out as the biggest challenge of the four, although playing in front of their own fans could give Real Madrid an opportunity to collect valuable points from the start.

Things will look different on the road. Arsenal, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens will be their away opponents, with the trip to face the English side emerging as one of the matches likely to attract the most attention.

Barcelona have several big nights ahead

Barcelona, meanwhile, will begin the competition with several opponents capable of immediately raising the difficulty of their schedule.

At home, they will welcome Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como . Among those matches, the clash with Pep Guardiola’s side stands out as one of the biggest attractions of the league phase.

Hansi Flick’s team will travel to face PSG, Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah . And one match inevitably stands above the rest: their trip to Paris to take on the reigning European champions.

The matchup will also have an added layer of intrigue, as the two teams will meet again after their clash last season.

So, when it comes to who received the easier path, Real Madrid appear to have been handed a slightly more favorable route than Barcelona .

However, the draw is only the starting point. The real answer will come once the ball starts rolling and each opponent stops being just a name on a schedule and becomes a test capable of shaping the course of an entire season.