Borussia Dortmund open their 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign tomorrow night at home to Villarreal, who return to Signal Iduna Park just a year after their first meeting with the Bundesliga giants.
The pair were drawn up against each other in the League Phase of last year's edition of the competition too, wherein the BVB comfortably prevailed 4-0. A brace from Serhou Guirassy coupled with goals from Karim Adeyemi and Daniel Svensson put the Yellow Submarine to the sword.
Villarreal were just the seventh Spanish team that Dortmund ever faced in the UEFA Champions League and apart from Athletic Bilbao, the only LaLiga side that have met exactly once. Ahead of their second ever official meeting, here's a cursory glance at Dortmund's record against Spanish teams in Europe's premier club tournament:
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid were the first Spanish team that Dortmund came up against in the Champions League back during the 1996-97 season, and the sides have met a total of six times overall. Interestingly, the record between them is evenly divided: three wins for BVB, and three for Rojiblancos. Dortmund's most famous win perhaps was the 4-0 drubbing of Diego Simeone's men in the 2018-19 season.
Record: Played - 6, Won - 3, Draw - 0, Lost -3
Real Madrid
Dortmund's most frequent Spanish opposition in the Champions League have been Real Madrid, with the rivals contesting a mammoth 16 duels, including the 2024 finals which Los Blancos won 2-0. The rivalry was more fierce during Jurgen Klopp years, with Dortmund eliminating them from the 2012-13 semi-finals on the back of Robert Lewandowski's sensational first-leg quadruple, although Madrid got their revenge a year later in the last-8, but not without Dortmund firing back in second leg.
Record: Played - 16, Won - 3, Draw - 5, Lost - 8
FC Barcelona
This completes the Spanish 'big three'. Dortmund faced Barcelona for the first time in 2019-20 season, contesting two group encounters, before another three meetings in the 2024-25 season. The BVB remained winless in the first four, even losing 4-0 in last year's quarter-final, but a sensational hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy in the return earned them their first scalp.
Record: Played - 5, Win - 1, Draw - 1, Lost - 3
Malaga
Malaga's historic run up to the 2012-13 Champions League quarter-finals saw them come up against Dortmund in the last stage. There was no separating them in the first leg in Spain, which ended 0-0, but the return at Signal Iduna Park was one to remember. Against all the odds, Malaga led 2-1 in the 82nd minute and were on the brink of knocking Klopp's team out. But quite incredibly, Dortmund struck twice in stoppage-time through Marco Reus and Felipe Santana to win 3-2 and send Los Blanquiazules packing.
Record: Played - 2, Won - 1, Draw - 1, Lost - 0
Sevilla
The only Spanish team that hasn't lost to Dortmund at home, drawing 2-2 at first and then 1-1. However, on both occasions, the BVB prevailed in Seville: a 3-2 first-leg win in the round of 16 of 2020-21 season, followed by a 4-1 demolition in the group stages of 2022-23 season. A certain Erling Haaland tormented them during their first pair of meetings, netting four goals across two legs.
Record: Played - 4, Won - 2, Lost - 0
Athletic Bilbao
Before Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao met the BVB for the first time in the 2025-26 Champions League first round and like the former, dealt Los Leones a heavy defeat too, prevailing 4-1 in Dortmund.
Record: Played - 1, Won - 1, Draw - 0, Lost - 0
Villarreal
Speaking of the Yellow Submarine themselves, Dortmund had no issue dispatching them too, recording a clinical 4-0 shellacking at home.
Record: Played - 1, Won - 1, Draw - 0, Lost - 0
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