--- title: "Real at home, Inter away: Shakhtar learns all its Champions League league-phase opponents" description: "At the 27 August Champions League league-phase draw, Shakhtar learned its eight opponents: among them Real, Inter, PSV, Fenerbahce and RB Leipzig. UEFA will publish the exact match dates on Saturday." date: 2026-08-27T17:04:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/shahtar-champions-league-league-phase-opponents-2026-27 tags: [champions-league, shakhtar, uefa, football, ukraine] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Real at home, Inter away: Shakhtar learns all its Champions League league-phase opponents ![UEFA Champions League trophy on display as Shakhtar learn their league phase opponents](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/28/shahter-superniki-osnovnaya-stadiya-ligi-chempionov-2026-27/shahter-superniki-osnovnaya-stadiya-ligi-chempionov-2026-27-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The Champions League league-phase draw was held on 27 August; Ukraine is represented by Shakhtar. - Shakhtar's opponents: Real (home), Inter (away), Sporting (home), PSV (away), Fenerbahce (home), RB Leipzig (away), as well as AEK. - Other teams with Ukrainians: Real (Lunin), Slavia (Domchak), PSG (Zbarny), Slovan (Ignatenko, Kucharevych) and AEK. - UEFA will publish the exact match dates on Saturday; ahead of the tournament start, Shakhtar extended the contract of a Ukraine national team defender. On Thursday, 27 August, the draw for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase was held in Nyon, determining the schedule and opponents for all participants in the tournament's new format. From Ukraine, Donetsk's Shakhtar takes part at this stage, and its match grid became the main story of the day for Ukrainian fans. The "miners" received eight opponents, including both trophy-laden European clubs and teams that are direct rivals for play-off places. ### How the Champions League league phase works As a reminder, from the 2024/25 season the Champions League no longer has a traditional group stage. Instead, teams play under a league system: each club plays eight matches β€” four at home and four away. Opponents and the status of each match (home/away) are fixed at the draw. Under the regulations, each team receives two opponents from each of the four pots, with one match against a club from a pot played at home and the second away. This format means that already at this stage every match carries competitive significance, and Shakhtar faces a tight schedule alternating home and away games. ### Shakhtar's opponents in the league phase According to the draw results, the "miners" will play home matches against Madrid's Real, Sporting and Fenerbahce, and away against Milan's Inter, PSV and RB Leipzig. The grid also includes a match against Greece's AEK. However, in the available version of the source the status of the AEK match (home or away) was not fully specified, so until UEFA publishes the official schedule this detail should be considered subject to confirmation. The exact dates of all league-phase matches for Shakhtar will be known on Saturday, when UEFA publishes the full match calendar. ### Ukrainian players in other tournament teams Besides Shakhtar, five other clubs with Ukrainian players in their squads advanced to the Champions League league phase. These are Madrid's Real (goalkeeper Andriy Lunin), Prague's Slavia (goalkeeper Nazar Domchak), Paris Saint-Germain (defender Ilya Zbarny), Bratislava's Slovan (midfielder Danylo Ignatenko and forward Nikolai Kucharevych), as well as Greece's AEK, which also features a Ukrainian player. Thus, the Ukrainian diaspora in UEFA's elite tournament remains prominent, and matches of these teams will become additional points of interest for the domestic audience. ### Context ahead of the start of the campaign It is worth noting separately that before the start of its Champions League campaign, Shakhtar extended the contract of one of its defenders, who is also a member of the Ukraine national team. This club decision underscores the focus on squad stability ahead of a tight European schedule. The draw produced a balanced but demanding grid that requires maximum concentration: Shakhtar will have to prove its competitiveness both in home matches against Real and Sporting and in away games against Inter and RB Leipzig. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Real, Inter and more: Shakhtar learns its Champions League opponents](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/real-inter-i-tilki-shahtar-diznavsya-supernikiv-1787849916.html) - ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Π²ΠΈΡ‡Π½Ρ‹ΠΉ источник: Π΄Π°Ρ‚Π° ΠΆΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π±ΡŒΠ΅Π²ΠΊΠΈ (27.08), Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΠ°Ρ‚ Π»ΠΈΠ³ΠΈ, список сопСрников Β«Π¨Π°Ρ…Ρ‚Π΅Ρ€Π°Β» с ΡƒΠΊΠ°Π·Π°Π½ΠΈΠ΅ΠΌ Π΄ΠΎΠΌ/Π²Ρ‹Π΅Π·Π΄, украинскиС ΠΈΠ³Ρ€ΠΎΠΊΠΈ Π² Π΄Ρ€ΡƒΠ³ΠΈΡ… ΠΊΠ»ΡƒΠ±Π°Ρ…. ΠžΠ±Ρ€Ρ‹Π² тСкста ΠΏΠΎ ΠΌΠ°Ρ‚Ρ‡Ρƒ с АЭК ΠΈ ΠΈΠΌΠ΅Π½ΠΈ ΠΈΠ³Ρ€ΠΎΠΊΠ° АЭК. - [Shakhtar learns its opponents in the Champions League league phase](https://dynamo.kiev.ua/news/735520-shahter-uznal-svoih-sopernikov-po-osnovnomu-etapu-ligi-chempionov?skip_infinite=1) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ ΠΆΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π±ΡŒΠ΅Π²ΠΊΠΈ ΠΈ ΠΎΠΏΡ€Π΅Π΄Π΅Π»Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ сопСрников Β«Π¨Π°Ρ…Ρ‚Π΅Ρ€Π°Β» ΠΏΠΎ основному этапу. - [Shakhtar learns potential opponents: 2026/27 CL pot composition](https://korrespondent.net/sport/football/4906602-shakhter-uznal-potentsyalnykh-sopernykov-sostav-korzyn-lch-202627) - ΠšΠΎΠ½Ρ‚Π΅ΠΊΡΡ‚: состав ΠΊΠΎΡ€Π·ΠΈΠ½ ΠΈ Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΠ°Ρ‚ ΠΆΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π±ΡŒΠ΅Π²ΠΊΠΈ Π›Π§-2026/27 (ΠΏΠΎ Π΄Π²Π° сопСрника ΠΈΠ· ΠΊΠ°ΠΆΠ΄ΠΎΠΉ ΠΊΠΎΡ€Π·ΠΈΠ½Ρ‹). - [Shakhtar awaits opponents. Watch the 2026/27 Champions League draw](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/champions_league/1787807761-shahter-v-ozhidanii-sopernikov-smotret-zherebyovku-ligi-chempionov-2026-27.html) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π΅Π΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ ΠΆΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π±ΡŒΠ΅Π²ΠΊΠΈ Π›Π§-2026/27 ΠΈ участиС Β«Π¨Π°Ρ…Ρ‚Π΅Ρ€Π°Β». ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When was the Champions League league-phase draw held? **A:** The draw was held on Thursday, 27 August, and determined the opponents and match status for all participants, including Shakhtar. ### Q: What opponents did Shakhtar get? **A:** Shakhtar will play Real (home), Inter (away), Sporting (home), PSV (away), Fenerbahce (home), RB Leipzig (away), as well as AEK. ### Q: How does the new Champions League format work? **A:** From the 2024/25 season there is no group stage: each team plays eight single-day matches β€” four at home and four away, receiving two opponents from each of the four pots. ### Q: When will the exact dates of Shakhtar's matches be known? **A:** UEFA will publish the exact dates on Saturday along with the full schedule of the league phase. ### Q: Are there Ukrainians in other league-phase teams? **A:** Yes: Andriy Lunin (Real), Nazar Domchak (Slavia), Ilya Zbarny (PSG), Danylo Ignatenko and Nikolai Kucharevych (Slovan), as well as a Ukrainian player in AEK's squad.