The 2025/26 Champions League league phase draw offered supporters a brief respite from the relentless timeline refreshing in a bid for transfer updates.
Instead, we were subject to the typically pain-staking pre-draw 'show' from Monaco, which, this time, involved far too much Zlatan Ibrahimovic and not enough of Kaka.
As is usually the way, the stuff nobody really cared about, not even the most ardent Milan fans who wonder in perpetuity how the aforementioned superstars would've combined at San Siro, went on for far too long.
Following the arrival of Claudio Ranieri's doppelganger and a handy draw explainer, it was time to get underway. The introduction of a 'Swiss Model' for the league phase meant opponents, instead of groups, were drawn for all 36 competing teams on Thursday, with AI software doing the hard work. Thanks again, robots.
We don't know all the details just yet, with full schedules dropping on Saturday, but here are four initial takeaways from Tottenham's draw.
Europa League nostalgia
They told us our run to the Europa League final was a fugazi. Cannon fodder who'd never compete amog Europe's elite, apparently.
Well, two of our victims on the way to Bilbao have the chance to enact revenge during the league phase, as we were paired against Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt.
We faced the now-transitioning German club during our ill-fated Champions League campaign under Antonio Conte in 2022/23, winning 3-2 at home and playing out the most forgettable of goalless draws away. I think Clement Lenglet played well that day. Anyway, we're travelling to Frankfurt this time around, having ground out a 1-0 win at Deutsche Bank Park in April. The Bundesliga side, of course, no longer have Hugo Ekitike at their disposal.
We're also returning to the Arctic Circle to face the competition debutants, with Bodo emphatically prevailing over Sturm Graz to reach the league phase. It's hard not to already feel nostalgic about this fixture, and those who travel will be subject to an utterly unique fan experience. Expect even colder temperatures.
More rematches
Thomas Frank's reign kicked off with an agonising defeat on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, and the Dane's side have the chance to avenge their UEFA Super Cup heartbreak when they visit the Parc des Princes for the very first time.
The current holders are our glamour tie of the league phase, with Borussia Dortmund the other team we were paired against from Pot 1. BVB will travel to north London, having twice visited Wembley in back-to-back seasons when Mauricio Pochettino was still at the helm.
Our 3-1 and 3-0 victories over Lucien Favre's side bring back wonderful memories.
Overall, there's undoubtedly a sense of familiarity with this league phase draw, but we'll also be taking on Villarreal and Copenhagen for the first time ever, while our previous meeting with Slavia Prague arrived 17 years ago.
Avoidance of nasty away days
A hectic schedule beckons for Frank's squad, which makes the club's inability to get deals over the line this summer all the more infuriating.
However, they have been aided somewhat by the league phase draw, as we're unlikely to be affected by long travel days.
This could've been much nastier for Spurs, with the likes of Galatasaray (Turkiye), Olympiacos (Greece), Pafos (Cyprus), Qarabag (Azerbaijan) and Kairat (Kazakhstan) among our potential opponents. Bodo is just shy of a five-hour trip, and the Arctic Circle will offer daunting physical challenges—assuming we play the Norwegian champions in the bleak mid-winter—but Spurs are otherwise travelling to Germany, France and Monaco.
These games will take it out of us no matter what, but the shorter flight times will aid recovery ahead of Premier League clashes at the weekend.
Top eight expectation?
Our @ChampionsLeague 2025/26 league phase opponents ✨ pic.twitter.com/J2VWkSgaif
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 28, 2025
The eight-game league phase is a proper slog, starting in mid-September and drawing to a close in January.
Only 12 teams are eliminated to begin with, but only eight qualify automatically for the round of 16. Those that finish between and including ninth and 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off in a bid to reach the last 16.
After this draw, the goal has to be a top-eight finish for Spurs. Admittedly, this could alter depending on how we conclude the transfer window, and whether Frank has the majority of his squad in tact throughout the autumn and winter.
On the surface, though, this is a kind draw. PSG, away, yeah, they can have it, but the remaining seven fixtures are all winnable games, especially the home ties. There's no such thing as an 'easy' fixture in this competition, but I think we're all currently boasting a quiet confidence after Thursday's draw.
Last season, 16 points was enough to secure a top-eight finish. Win the home games and nick one away.