RB Leipzig to Face Real Madrid and Man City in the Champions League

RB Leipzig will face Real Madrid for the third time in the Champions League group stage. This means a quick reunion for the “Blancos” with Yan Diomande, who just joined Real. In addition, as was the case from 2020 to 2024, Manchester City will once again be their opponent—this time at home.

Other opponents on the road at Old Trafford include Manchester United, Feyenoord Rotterdam, and Italian newcomer Como, led by the once-coveted coach Cesc Fàbregas. At home, the Saxons will host PSV Eindhoven—featuring loanee Lutsharel Geertruida—as well as the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk and RC Lens, led by former player Amadou Haidara. 

This was the result of the draw in Monaco, which was watched live by RB Leipzig’s managing director Tatjana Haenni and her colleagues Johann Plenge and Ulrich Wolter. Supervisory Board Chairman and Red Bull Managing Director Oliver Mintzlaff was also on site in Monaco, while the first-team players in Leipzig watched the draw at the club’s offices alongside the women’s Bundesliga team and RB staff. 

Tough Matchups for Demichelis

RB, finishing third in the Bundesliga standings, had qualified for the Champions League again under coach Ole Werner after a one-year absence. Now Martín Demichelis has taken over as coach and is immediately facing some real challenges. Leipzig even made it to the semifinals in the 2019–2020 season, but then lost to Paris Saint-Germain 0–3.

The 36 participants were divided into four pots based on the UEFA club rankings. Clubs from the same association could not be drawn against each other. Additionally, no team could face more than two opponents from the same country. RB Leipzig was in Pot 3. Each team was assigned two opponents from each pot, including its own, with one home and one away game. This resulted in eight matches for the group stage.

At the end of the group stage, the top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16. Teams ranked ninth through 24th advance to the playoffs. The tournament then continues in a knockout format. 

The Schedule and Prize Money

UEFA will announce the schedule no earlier than Saturday. The first matchday spans three days, from September 8 to 10. The group stage concludes on January 27. The next Champions League winner will be crowned on June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.

For participating in the Champions League, the Saxons will receive a starting bonus of 18.62 million euros. In the group stage, teams earn 2.1 million euros per win and 700,000 euros per draw. In the knockout stage, there are round bonuses ranging from one million euros for the playoffs up to a total of 63.5 million euros for the eventual champion.