Fans certain Champions League draw was ‘rigged’ for a specific club as knockout fixtures revealed

The Champions League draw took place on Friday morning, and many fans believe it was structured to favor one particular club.

Held in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw included eight teams that automatically qualified from the new league format and eight more that advanced through the knockout play-offs, which concluded on Wednesday.

The automatically qualified teams were seeded and paired based on their league standings. Table leaders Liverpool were grouped with second-placed Barcelona, third-placed Arsenal were linked with Inter Milan, while Atletico Madrid were paired with Bayer Leverkusen. The final pairing included Lille and Aston Villa.

These pairs were then placed into opposite sides of the bracket, with each team having two possible round-of-16 opponents.

The round of 16 draw set up several high-profile clashes, including another Madrid derby between Real and Atletico, an all-German battle between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, and fixtures such as Arsenal vs. PSV, Liverpool vs. PSG, Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille, Feyenoord vs. Inter, and Barcelona vs. Benfica—a rematch of one of the most thrilling group-stage encounters.

The quarter-final and semi-final pathways were also determined, but many fans claim Barcelona received a particularly favorable draw. The Catalan giants avoided facing El Clásico rivals Real Madrid, as well as English sides Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa, along with PSG.

One fan on X reacted: “Guess it’s fixed for Barcelona to win!”

Another added: “Barcelona always get easy draws, you can’t convince me otherwise.”

A third wrote: “Easy path for Barcelona, of course.”

A fourth fumed: “The path is set. Barcelona on the easy side of the bracket, shocker.”

However, there is no evidence of any irregularities, and these reactions remain speculative.

Barcelona’s Road to the Champions League Final

A five-time Champions League winner, Barcelona last lifted the trophy in 2015 as part of their treble-winning campaign.

Having finished second behind Liverpool in the league table, they will face Benfica in the round of 16. If they progress, they will meet the winner of Borussia Dortmund vs. Lille in the quarter-finals, followed by a potential semi-final clash against either Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord, or Inter.

This means Barcelona would avoid Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, and Arsenal until the final.

The Champions League final will take place at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on Saturday, May 31.