Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League last season and sealed a spot in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
This is the club's first experience of the new league phase format of Europe's top club tournament after winning the Conference League title in May.
That was followed up by a superb summer for Enzo Maresca's team with glory in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the USA.
Maresca has invested heavily in his squad ahead of the new campaign with over £240m [$325m] spent on a host of new faces at Stamford Bridge.
A return to the big time in Europe will be a real test for Maresca and his young stars in the months ahead.
Here is how their Champions League schedule looks for the league phase in 2024/25.
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Chelsea Champions League first phase opponents
The league phase draw was held on Aug. 28, 2025 with Maresca's first eight games now confirmed.
As per the updated format - now into it's second season - Chelsea will play eight games against eight different opponents with four matches at home and four away.
The top eight sides in the overall league phase will qualify directly for the Round of 16 knockouts, with teams placed 9th to 24th entering the playoffs.
Chelsea UCL league phase opponents
- Barcelona (H)
- Bayern Munich (A)
- Benfica (H)
- Atalanta (A)
- Ajax (H)
- Napoli (A)
- Pafos (H)
- Qarabag (A)
Chelsea UCL league phase fixtures
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 17 Sep 2025 | 3:00 PM | Bayern Munich vs Chelsea | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| Tue, 30 Sep 2025 | 3:00 PM | Chelsea vs Benfica | Stamford Bridge, London |
| Wed, 22 Oct 2025 | 3:00 PM | Chelsea vs Ajax | Stamford Bridge, London |
| Wed, 5 Nov 2025 | 3:00 PM | Qarabag vs Chelsea | Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku |
| Tue, 25 Nov 2025 | 3:00 PM | Chelsea vs Barcelona | Stamford Bridge, London |
| Tue, 9 Dec 2025 | 3:00 PM | Atalanta vs Chelsea | Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo |
| Wed, 21 Jan 2026 | 3:00 PM | Chelsea vs Pafos | Stamford Bridge, London |
| Wed, 28 Jan 2026 | 3:00 PM | Napoli vs Chelsea | Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples |
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