The Yellow Submarine will host Manchester City, Juventus, Ajax and Copenhagen at the Estadio de la Cerámica
Villarreal CF now know their eight opponents in the league phase of the Champions League. The draw, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, has paired the Yellow Submarine with Borussia Dortmund (away), Manchester City (home), Bayer Leverkusen (away), Juventus FC (home), Ajax (home), Tottenham Hotspur (away), FC Copenhagen (home) and Pafos FC (away).
The dates and kick-off times for Villarreal CF’s UEFA Champions League fixtures are as follows:
- MD1: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal CF – Tuesday, 16 September, 21:00 CET
- MD2: Villarreal CF vs. Juventus FC – Wednesday, 1 October, 21:00 CET
- MD3: Villarreal CF vs. Manchester City – Tuesday, 21 October, 21:00 CET
- MD4: Pafos FC vs. Villarreal CF – Wednesday, 5 November, 18:45 CET
- MD5: Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal CF – Tuesday, 25 November, 21:00 CET
- MD6: Villarreal CF vs. FC Copenhagen – Wednesday, 10 December, 18:45 CET
- MD7: Villarreal CF vs. AFC Ajax – Tuesday, 20 January, 21:00 CET
- MD8: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Villarreal CF – Wednesday, 28 January, 21:00 CET
Marcelino García Toral’s side will therefore embark on their fifth campaign in Europe’s elite club competition, after reaching the semi-finals in their last appearance in the 2021/22 season.
It is worth highlighting that this draw corresponds to the new Champions League format, introduced from last season (2024/25).
This innovative system brings several key changes compared to the last edition in which Villarreal took part:
· 36 participating teams: the top eight go directly through to the Round of 16, while those finishing between 9th and 24th must contest a play-off to qualify for the knockout stage. The bottom 12 are eliminated.
· No group stage: instead, clubs play a league phase of eight matches (four at home and four away) against different opponents.
· From the Round of 16 onwards, the competition follows the traditional two-legged knockout format.
