Top 10 teams with the easiest Champions League fixtures

The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase has produced some favourable schedules for several clubs, and according to Opta, Stuttgart has been handed the easiest set of fixtures overall.

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Opta Analyst assessed the difficulty of all 36 teams’ league-phase schedules using its Opta Power Rankings, which rates more than 16,000 teams on the same scale. For each club, Opta calculated the average rating of its eight opponents. The lower the average rating, the easier the fixture list is considered to be.

The league phase features 36 teams, with each side playing eight different opponents; four at home and four away. The top eight teams after the eight matchdays will qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will enter the knockout phase play-offs.

Here are the 10 teams with the easiest fixtures:

Stuttgart have the easiest Champions League fixture list of all 36 teams, with their eight opponents producing an average Opta Power Rating of 88.9. This means that their favourable draw gives them an opportunity to target a strong start and potentially finish in the top eight.

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Inter Milan received the second-easiest draw overall and the easiest among the Pot 1 teams, with an average opponent rating of 89.5. Despite facing major clubs including Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Inter avoided an exceptionally difficult overall schedule.

Fenerbahçe rank third on the list, with their opponents averaging 89.6. The Turkish club's draw includes Liverpool at home. Despite that major test, the overall strength of Fenerbahçe's eight opponents puts them among the teams with the most favourable schedules on paper.

Shakhtar Donetsk also have an average opponent rating of 89.6, on the same level with Fenerbahçe. Their league-phase schedule includes a home match against 15-time European champions Real Madrid.

Slovan Bratislava occupy fifth place with an average opponent rating of 89.7. The Slovak club will have to face reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain away from home, but their overall eight-match schedule remains statistically favourable compared with those of most teams in the competition.

Porto have the sixth-easiest fixture list, with their opponents averaging 89.8. The Portuguese giants will host Manchester City in their league-phase fixtures. 

PSV Eindhoven are seventh on the list after receiving an average opponent rating of 89.9. One of their headline fixtures will be against Real Madrid, but overall, PSV places 7th among the top 10 teams with the easiest draws.

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Real Madrid's opponents have an average Opta Power Rating of 90.0, putting the 15-time European champions eighth overall. The Spanish giants will face Arsenal away from home, while they are also scheduled to meet Inter Milan at home. 

Liverpool also have an average opponent rating of 90.0, but are ranked below Real Madrid in the list. Opta identifies Liverpool as having the easiest Champions League draw among the Premier League teams.

Norwegian side Viking complete the top 10, with an average opponent rating of 90.2. Their schedule includes a home meeting with Bayern Munich, but the overall strength of their eight opponents gives them the 10th-easiest fixture list according to the Opta assessment.

The Champions League league phase begins on September 8, 2026, with the final scheduled for June 5, 2027 in Madrid.