Real Madrid were unable to defend their Champions League crown a season ago and will be hungry to return to Europe’s summit.
There’s few love stories in the sport more romantic than the bond between Real Madrid and the Champions League. Los Blancos are the undisputed kings of Europe’s premier club competition and are the most successful side in history, winning it 15 times.
But in 2024–25, Real Madrid failed to meet their lofty standards. Kylian Mbappé finally made his highly-anticipated move to the Santiago Bernabéu and the expectation was to conquer a 16th Champions League trophy. Then, in the quarterfinals, Declan Rice and Arsenal abruptly stunned the competition’s historic Goliath.
In comes Xabi Alonso for his debut season on Los Blancos’s touchline. It’s true Alonso will be tasked with trying to dethrone Barcelona in every major domestic competition, but much of the success of his first campaign will be judged by his team’s performance in Europe.
Here’s a look at Real Madrid’s potential opponents in the Champions League league phase, where they’ll look to start rekindling what Florentino Pérez described as a well-known love story.






