Best and Worst Champions League draw outcomes for Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund await their Champions League fate tonight as the draws for the League Phase of the competition's 2026-27 season will be made in Monaco at 18:00 CET.

The BVB have been drawn in Pot 2 of the draw and will be playing eight different teams in the first round for a place in the knockout stages.

Finishing within top eight places would mean Dortmund head into the Round of 16 directly, while coming between ninth and 24th position would put them in a daunting knockout playoff.

Niko Kovac's side suffered the fate earlier this year when a 17th-place finish on the Champions League table saw them face-off with Atalanta, who overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit with a stunning 4-1 victory in Bergamo to send Dortmund packing.

Their road to the playoff was treacherous too, with the side coming up against some big guns such as Juventus, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan. Die Borussen could find themselves in a similar dilemma again this season.

Here are the best and worst case League Phase scenarios for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League:

Best Case

Of all the big teams in Pot 1, Dortmund boast a good record against Atletico Madrid, having put four past time at home in both 2018-19 group stages and 2023-24 quarter-finals.

The BVB would be pleased if the Rojiblancos come to town again. Meanwhile, Arsenal would be another team they won't mind facing, given they only recently beat the English champions.

Niko Kovac's side prevailed 3-2 at the Emirates in a friendly game earlier this month, although it's worth mentioning that the Gunners were missing in many of their first-team stars.

From Pot 2, Club Brugge seems like an easy draw, as does PSV Eindhoven, who lost Joey Veerman to BVB a few weeks ago in a high-profile transfer.

Real Betis, playing in the Champions League after 20 years, are also someone that Dortmund can beat.

Another Spanish opponent that Dortmund would be excited to face is Villarreal, who lost 4-1 at the Signal Iduna Park in the first round last year. A fixture against Shakhtar Donestk is also negotiable.

The Ukrainian minnows have been a mainstay in European competition for years but without ever pulling up any trees.

Norway's Viking FK are set to make their Champions League debut and what better prospect for the BVB than facing a side in uncharted waters?

Meanwhile, Sabah FK also created history with their qualification, just nine years after the club was founded.

Worst Case

Now onto a nightmarish scenario. Of the eight teams in Pot 1, Dortmund can't face Bayern Munich by UEFA's rules that prohibits teams from the same division from facing off in the first round.

Record 15-time champions Real Madrid boast an incredible record against Dortmund while Manchester City have also been a bogey team, hammering them 4-1 just last year.

The two biggest teams in Pot 2, AS Roma and Manchester United, could also be drawn against the BVB. Roma visited Dortmund this month for a friendly game that ended 2-2, while United have never played against the German side in the Champions League before.

Serie A runners-up Napoli in Pot 3 are another daunting prospect that Dortmund may have to put up with, whereas Turkish giants Galatasaray have emerged as Europe's giant-killers in recent times. They beat Juventus 7-5 on aggregate in the knockout playoffs last season.

Como are making their Champions League debut too but aren't to be underestimated as Cesc Fabregas' side secured a fourth-place finish in the Italian top-flight and are among the biggest dark horses whereas Lens recently sent an ominous with a 1-0 defeat of PSG in the French Supercup.

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