Roma's UEFA Champions League 2026–27 phase opponents were confirmed in the draw from Monte Carlo. The club faces Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as headline tests, but also encounters Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Lille, AEK Athens and Slovan Bratislava. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma's path offers both elite challenges and winnable fixtures—a sorteggio that is neither soft nor prohibitive.
Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, remains a heavyweight. Their front line includes Mbappé, Vinicius, Rodrygo and Endrick; deeper lie Bellingham, Valverde, Tchouaméni and Arda Güler. The club added Konaté, Dumfries, Cucurella, Bernardo and Yan Diomande over the summer. A convincing start to La Liga has seen Mbappé make immediate impact, though a substantially remodelled squad must still fully integrate its new equilibrium—yet remains one of Europe's highest mountains.
Paris Saint-Germain defend their European crown for a second consecutive season under Luis Enrique. Their depth is impressive: Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Ferran Torres, Akliouche, Vitinha, João Neves, Hakimi and Nuno Mendes are merely some names available. Summer arrivals included Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, Lucas Digne and Mika Godts. The Parisians have not hit full throttle domestically and are still finding rhythm after an extended off-season; a Roma performance approaching near-perfection will be required in the French capital.
Spotting CP, managed by Rui Borges, remain a technical, pacy squad familiar with the Champions League, but have shed heavyweight reference points: Morten Hjulmand moved to Atlético Madrid, Francisco Trincão to Al Ahli and Ousmane Diomande departed Lisbon. Quality persists with Pedro Gonçalves, Gonçalo Inácio, Geny Catamo, Fotis Ioannidis and Luis Suárez, plus summer signings Rodrigo Zalazar and Nestory Irankunda. The Portuguese have begun their league campaign scoring freely yet conceding occasionally; a fixture at the Stadio Olimpico is difficult but absolutely within Roma's compass. Manchester United, under Michael Carrick, have invested heavily in a completely reinforced midfield: Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Bruno Fernandes—recently named PFA Player of the Year—remains the star. In attack Carrick selects from Šeško, Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo, Amad and Rashford. Quality is highest, but a season opener defeat at Hull City (0–2) signals visible cracks; formidable on paper, still in construction.
Lille, managed by Davide Ancelotti, opened Ligue 1 with a 2–0 win at Angers and retain engaging players: Olivier Giroud's experience leads, with Hákon Haraldsson, Tiago Santos, Nabil Bentaleb and Matias Fernandez-Pardo noteworthy. The club recently sold Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City, partly offset by Dilane Bakwa's arrival. An organised, physical side; Roma hold the edge at the Olimpico.
Fenerbahce's name may deceive—their squad carries elite quality. The Turks have just knocked Lyon from playoff contention and field Mason Greenwood, Romelu Lukaku, Marco Asensio, Talisca, N'Golo Kanté, Matteo Guendouzi, Nathan Aké, Milan Škriniar and Ederson under İsmail Kartal. European experience and talent abound; Istanbul's atmosphere in the Champions League can turn incendiary. Perhaps lacking established automatism of the very greatest, individual quality makes it one of the Roma campaign's riskiest away trips.
Slovan Bratislava, coached by Yaya Touré, reached the league phase via a lengthy preliminary path, defeating Celje only in extra time. Recognisable names include ex-Sporting Andraž Šporar, Tigran Barseghyan, Kevin Wimmer and Kenan Bajrić. A battling squad not to take lightly, yet technical separation is evident: victory at the Olimpico counts as near-mandatory.
AEK Athens, managed by Marko Nikolić, just secured qualification by crushing Levski Sofia 4–0 and possess more quality than their fourth seeding suggests. Luka Jović and Barnabás Varga lead attack; midfield highlights Lovro Majer, Răzvan Marin and Kaan Kairinen; Thomas Strakosha minds goal. Majer and Kairinen arrived this summer, raising technical standard. Roma remain favourites, though Athens demands avoiding a careless evening.
The draw cuts two ways. Real Madrid and PSG represent the ceiling; trips to Manchester United and Fenerbahce heighten difficulty further. Conversely, Roma host Sporting, Lille and especially Slovan Bratislava, plus the Athens away fixture against AEK. Hardly a soft draw, but not prohibitive either: if Roma discharge duties in the four most accessible matches, they can build significant league-phase standing. Then come the great nights absent for seven years—Real Madrid at the Olimpico and PSG in Paris.
