Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a return to Liverpool in the Champions League.The Reds will host Real Madrid and their former right-back at Anfield during the league phase of this season’s competition.Alexander-Arnold has been handed an instant return to AnfieldGettyGettyThe Real Madrid star’s new club will travel to take on Liverpool in the Champions League[/caption]It will mark Alexander-Arnold’s first homecoming since leaving his boyhood club for the Spanish capital earlier this summer.Meanwhile, Real Madrid are now managed by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.Arne Slot’s side will also face Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid during the opening stage.Arsenal face an unwanted reunion of their own with England captain Harry Kane as Bayern Munich visit the Emirates Stadium.The former Tottenham striker can extend a stunning record against the Gunners after scoring 15 goals against them already in his career.Elsewhere, the remaining Premier League sides have each discovered their opponents.Newcastle and Chelsea will both host Barcelona, with the Magpies also travelling to meet holders Paris Saint-Germain.Manchester City will also meet Real Madrid as they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu.It will be the fifth season in a row that the two sides have met in the Champions League.As for their other fixtures, City will take on Serie A champions Napoli as well as a trip to the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt.GettyKane has the chance to extend his brilliant scoring record against Arsenal[/caption]City and Real Madrid will meet for the fifth season in a rowGettyTottenham also face that journey, having beaten the Norwegian side in last season’s Europa League.Teams in this season’s competition face four matches at home and four away, having been drawn with two clubs from each of the four pots.City, Liverpool and Chelsea were each in pot one, with Arsenal in pot two, Spurs in pot three and Newcastle in pot four.The opening matchday of the league phase is scheduled across September 16 to 18.Each club will then play at the same time for the final round of fixtures on January 28.English clubs' Champions League opponentsArsenalBayern Munich (H)Inter Milan (A)Atletico Madrid (H)Club Brugge (A)Olympiacos (H)Slavia Prague (A)Kairat (H)Athletic Bilbao (A)ChelseaBarcelona (H)Bayern Munich (A)Benfica (H)Atalanta (A)Ajax (H)Napoli (A)Pafos (H)Qarabag (A)LiverpoolReal Madrid (H)Inter Milan (A)Atletico Madrid (H)Frankfurt (A)PSV (H)Marseille (A)Qarabag (H)Galatasaray (A)Manchester CityBorussia Dortmund (H)Real Madrid (A)Bayer Leverkusen (H)Villarreal (A)Napoli (H)Bodo/Glimt (A)Galatasaray (H)Monaco (A)NewcastleBarcelona (H)Paris Saint-Germain (A)Benfica (H)Bayer Leverkusen (A)PSV (H)Marseille (A)Athletic Bilbao (H)Union Saint-Gilloise (A)TottenhamBorussia Dortmund (H)Paris Saint-Germain (A)Villarreal (H)Frankfurt (A)Slavia Prague (H)Bodo/Glimt (A)Copenhagen (H)Monaco (A)Where is the 2026 Champions League final?The final of this season’s Champions League will be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on May 30, 2026.The 67,215-capacity arena was opened in 2019 and is the home of the Hungarian national team.However, Ferencvaros have also played Champions League matches at the venue in the past.It will not be used in this season’s competition until the final, though, after Robbie Keane’s side were beaten by Qarabag in the play-off round.The Puskas Arena previously hosted the 2023 Europa League final, which saw Sevilla beat Roma on penalties.2025/26 Champions League key datesLeague phaseMatchday one: September 16-18Matchday two: September 30 – October 1Matchday three: October 21-22Matchday four: November 4-5Matchday five: November 25-26Matchday six: December 9-10Matchday seven: January 20-21Matchday eight: January 28Knockout stagePlay-off round: February 17-18 and 24-25Round of 16: March 10-11 and 17-18Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6Final: May 30Why are there six English clubs in the Champions League?This season marks the first time a single nation has had six representatives in the Champions League.England usually has four qualification spots, which are awarded to the previous season’s Premier League top four.There will be two extra entrants from the English top-flight this term, though.Last season’s top four of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea all qualified through their league position.Newcastle did the same after finishing fifth thanks to England earning an additional spot through the UEFA co-efficient.Since the 2023/24 season, the two best performing nations across all three continental competitions have been awarded an additional Champions League berth. Last term saw England and Spain come out on top, earning Eddie Howe’s side entry alongside Villarreal of La Liga.As for the sixth Premier League team, Spurs, they qualified as Europa League winners.It means they will appear for the first time in since 2023 despite finishing 17th in the league last season.