Champions League Group Stage Highlights: Real–City Rivalry, Xinjiang Fans Traveling to Watch, and First Entry into the Arctic Circle

  The draw for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League group stage has been completed. From traditional giants to rising contenders, from small towns within the Arctic Circle to cities on the Central Asian steppe, this season’s fixtures are full of intrigue.

1. “Real–City” Rivalry Continues

In the group stage, Real Madrid will face Manchester City at home. Statistics show that this is the fifth consecutive season in which the two sides have met in the Champions League, with eight encounters in the past four years alone—setting a record for the most clashes between two teams in the same span. Including the 2019–20 season, Real Madrid and Manchester City have faced each other six times in the last seven years in the Champions League.

• 2019–20 season: Round of 16

• 2021–22 season: Semi-finals

• 2022–23 season: Semi-finals

• 2023–24 season: Quarter-finals

• 2024–25 season: Knockout play-offs

• 2025–26 season: Group stage

2. “King of London” Takes on Two London Rivals

Bayern Munich, once nicknamed the “King of London,” will meet two London clubs in this season’s group stage. The Bavarian giants will host Chelsea at home and visit Arsenal away.

3. “Facing Former Clubs” Storylines

One of the most common narratives in the Champions League is the return of players or coaches against their former clubs. This season, Manchester City will host Napoli, now managed by Antonio Conte, with Kevin De Bruyne returning to the Etihad. Liverpool will host Real Madrid, with Trent Alexander-Arnold returning to Anfield. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Barcelona, with manager Luis Enrique and star forward Ousmane Dembélé returning to Camp Nou.

4. Xinjiang Fans Can Travel by Bus to Watch Real Madrid

Kazakhstan’s FC Kairat Almaty fought their way through the qualifiers to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time in the club’s history, and they drew Spanish giants Real Madrid, who will travel to Kazakhstan for the away fixture.

Notably, the distance between Almaty and the Santiago Bernabéu is 6,411 kilometers, making it the farthest away venue Real Madrid has ever traveled to in European competition—and requiring flight transfers along the way. Interestingly, eight cities in China currently operate direct flights to Almaty. The Kazakh city lies just 200 kilometers from the Chinese border. A direct flight from Urumqi to Almaty takes about two hours, while a bus ride from Yining to Almaty takes around ten hours, with a ticket costing about 300 RMB. Moreover, Kazakhstan grants visa-free entry for Chinese citizens.

5. Champions League Enters the Arctic Circle for the First Time

This season, Norway’s Bodø/Glimt made history by qualifying for the Champions League group stage for the first time. In doing so, they also became the northernmost club ever to play in the Champions League, marking the first time the tournament has entered the Arctic Circle.

Bodø/Glimt is based within the Arctic Circle, where winter temperatures often fall below freezing and summer highs rarely exceed 20°C. Their home ground is laid with artificial turf. The club is one of only two top-flight European teams located within the Arctic Circle, the other being Tromsø IL, also from Norway. Tromsø lies even further north than Bodø/Glimt but currently lacks the competitive strength to qualify.

In the group stage, Manchester City, Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur, and AS Monaco will all travel north to face Bodø/Glimt on their home turf.