Borussia Dortmund draw Inter at home as Arsenal and Aston Villa headline Champions League away trips

Borussia Dortmund have been handed a Champions League league-phase draw featuring Inter at Signal Iduna Park and two high-profile Premier League trips to Arsenal and Aston Villa.

Dortmund confirmed their eight opponents after Thursday’s draw in Monaco, with Real Betis, Villarreal and AEK Athens joining Inter as visitors to Germany. Niko Kovač’s side will travel to Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bodø/Glimt and Sabah FC. UEFA’s completed draw independently confirms the same home-and-away allocation.

Home — Signal Iduna Park

- Inter - Real Betis - Villarreal - AEK Athens

Away

- Arsenal - Aston Villa - Bodø/Glimt - Sabah FC

Inter provide the marquee home fixture.

The Serie A champions will return to Dortmund after the sides also met in last season’s league phase, while Villarreal are another repeat opponent heading to Signal Iduna Park. Real Betis add a second Spanish challenge to Dortmund’s home programme, with AEK completing the four fixtures in Germany. Dortmund’s own post-draw assessment noted the recurrence of several familiar matchups.

The more intriguing part of the draw may come away from home.

Arsenal represent Dortmund’s most demanding trip on paper. A visit to the Emirates places BVB against one of the strongest sides in the competition and immediately stands out as the headline fixture of their travelling schedule.

Aston Villa offer another Premier League test in Birmingham. The pairing means Dortmund’s two English opponents both come away from Signal Iduna Park, removing the home advantage they will have against Inter and Betis.

The lower-pot away matches carry a different type of difficulty.

Bodø/Glimt require a journey to northern Norway, where conditions and unfamiliarity can make the fixture more complicated than the seeding suggests. Sabah FC will host Dortmund in Baku, adding significant travel to a league phase already containing visits to London and Birmingham. Dortmund themselves highlighted Norway and Azerbaijan when outlining the logistical shape of their draw.

That contrast gives BVB a relatively clear strategic framework.

Their four home matches offer an important opportunity to establish a strong points base. Inter are the obvious heavyweight, but Betis, Villarreal and AEK give Dortmund three further fixtures in which the intensity of Signal Iduna Park should provide meaningful leverage.

Away from home, the equation is less predictable. Arsenal and Villa bring Premier League quality; Bodø/Glimt and Sabah bring travel, environment and unfamiliarity.

Under the 36-team league-phase format, each club plays eight different opponents, with the top eight progressing directly to the round of 16 and teams finishing ninth to 24th entering the knockout play-offs. The first matchday will be played from September 8-10, with the final league-phase fixtures scheduled for January 27.

UEFA will publish the exact match order, dates and kick-off times no later than Saturday, August 29.

For Dortmund, the headline games are obvious: Inter under the lights at Signal Iduna Park, Arsenal at the Emirates and Aston Villa in Birmingham.

But the draw’s real test lies in its balance.

Dortmund have been given four home fixtures from which they can realistically build momentum, while every away assignment carries either significant quality or an unusual logistical challenge. If Kovač’s side make Dortmund count, the path toward a top-eight finish becomes considerably clearer.

If they do not, a road schedule stretching from London to northern Norway and Baku could turn an attractive draw into a much tighter European calculation.