Manchester City’s next Champions League opponent for the 2025–26 season is not fixed to just one team, because under UEFA’s new “league phase” format City play multiple clubs rather than a traditional four-team group.

Who Man City will play

For the 2025–26 Champions League league phase, Manchester City have eight confirmed opponents. These are:

  • Real Madrid
  • Borussia Dortmund
  • Bayer Leverkusen
  • Napoli
  • Galatasaray
  • Bodo/Glimt
  • Villarreal
  • Monaco

UEFA will schedule these as a mix of home and away fixtures across the league phase, rather than a simple “next round vs X” like in the old group system.

Quick Scoop: context and what’s “next”

  • City’s matches are split between home and away: for example, Real Madrid away, Borussia Dortmund at home, Napoli at home, Monaco away, etc.
  • The list above is the order in which the teams were drawn, not necessarily the order of the fixtures.
  • Exact dates and which game comes “next” on the calendar are set separately by UEFA and broadcasters, so if you’re asking literally “who do they play next?”, you’d need the latest fixtures list for the 2025–26 Champions League schedule.

Mini FAQ

  • Is it still a group stage?
    No; from 2024–25, UEFA introduced a single league table in the first phase, with each club playing eight different opponents.
  • Do Man City face any giants?
    Yes, Real Madrid remains the standout tie and continues a modern European rivalry that has seen them meet repeatedly in recent seasons.

TL;DR: Under the new Champions League format, Manchester City don’t just “play one team next” but have eight league-phase opponents: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt, Villarreal and Monaco.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.