The European fever has finally begun for football fans. The official league phase draw for the 2025/26 edition of the UEFA Champions League took place a few hours ago in Monaco. The road to Budapest is set. Through the hands of legends Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka, the first eight challenges for Bayern Munich have been unveiled. Interestingly, Bayern Munich was actually the first team to have its opponents announced in the ceremony.
Big names await
Bayern will have a redemption opportunity against Paris Saint-Germain after the reigning Champions League winners knocked them out of the FIFA Club World Cup last summer. The two teams also faced each other in last year's inaugural version of the new league phase, with the joy going to Bayern thanks to Kim Min-jae's header.
The other matchup in Pot 1 will be against Chelsea. The Blues, coming off an emphatic triumph in the Club World Cup this past summer, will surely bring their A game to the Champions League to assert dominance. Bayern will be away in Paris and home to the London side at the Allianz Arena. It will never be an easy game facing the champions of the world's biggest football tournaments, regardless of venues. Vincent Kompany and the players must ensure they are ready.
Another difficult challenge for Die Roten will be the dreaded journey to the Emirates, where Arsenal will seek vengeance after the Bavarian side stopped Gunners' hope of European glory two years ago. Mikel Arteta's sturdy defense and dynamic offense will cause Bayern a world of trouble.
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β FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) August 28, 2025
Bayern should still finish higher up the table
Apart from those three matchups, the rest of the pool can be considered manageable for Bayern. The Allianz Arena will host two Belgian sides, Club Brugge and Union Saint-Gilloise. Brugge has been a mainstay in the Champions League over the past decade, but has never been a giant killer. Union Saint-Gilloise will make its debut this year on the grandest stage of European football.
Sporting CP and PSV Eindhoven are Bayern Munich's Pot 3 draws. Both are formidable opponents who were champions of their respective domestic leagues last season. Yet, both teams were weakened in the summer transfer market with the departure of key players: Sporting lost Viktor Gyokeres, while PSV bid farewell to Johan Bakayoko, Luuk de Jong, and Malik Tillman.
A new name in the Champions League map, Pafos, will be one of Bayern's most exciting away days. Vincent Kompany and the boys will have to travel 1,417 miles one way (2,281 km) to Paphos, Cyprus, for one football match.
All in all, this is quite a favorable draw for Bayern Munich in the Champions League opening phase. On paper, the club should feel confident. Die Roten should, and must, be able to handle the teams in Pot 3 and 4 as true favorites, while trying for positive results against the top clubs. With the talent at their disposal, Bayern should aim not just to qualify, but to dominate. An unscathed top-eight finish in the league phase is the minimum target. Anything less would be a disappointment.