How Arsenal and Man City could face ‘World Series’ fixtures in 2026: Champions League draw key to Guardiola-Arteta matchups
Arsenal and Manchester City look set to take the Premier League title race deep into the closing stages of the 2025/26 season.
The Gunners’ emphatic 4-1 win over a beleaguered Tottenham in their north London derby restored their lead to five points on February 22, although City have a game in hand.
A date in the diary for fans of both clubs and the wider footballing world in the weekend of April 18/19, when City host Arsenal in the Premier League. After that game, both sides will have just five games to go in the English top flight.
The fact that Arsenal and City also meet in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 22 adds another irresistible note to a simmering rivalry.
But by the end of this period, Pep Guardiola and his old protege Mikel Arteta could have faced off five times in the space of four weeks. Let us explain how.
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How many times will Arsenal and Man City play before the end of the season?
The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League takes place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, February 25. The draw does not just decide the games for the first knockout round proper; it will also determine the prospective paths to the final for each participating team.
Arsenal won eight out of eight league phase games and progressed in first place, while City needed a win over Galatasaray on the final matchweek to sneak through in eighth on goal difference. Both teams are seeded, so they will face a playoff round winner and play the second leg of their last 16 match at home.
If City win their tie, they will face the winner of the matchups featuring either Arsenal or Bayern Munich, who finished the league phase as runners-up, in the quarterfinals.
The games in any City vs. Arsenal quarterfinal would take place on April 7/8 and April 14/15, with the second leg immediately before the Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium.
If that puts you in mind of the famous run of Barcelona vs. Real Madrid matches that Pep Guardiola endured in 2011, things could get even more congested depending on whether Arsenal and City progress from the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Arteta’s men face this season’s surprise package, League One Mansfield Town, at Field Mill, while Guardiola’s side will play Newcastle United for a fifth time this season when they travel to St James’ Park.
If City and Arsenal get through and are drawn together, the FA Cup quarterfinals will take place on the weekend of April 4/5.
So, if all the stars align…
What a Man City vs. Arsenal ‘World Series’ could look like
Confirmed fixtures in bold
- March 22: Arsenal vs. Man City (Carabao Cup final)
- April 4/5: Man City vs. Arsenal (FA Cup quarterfinal)
- April 7 /8: Man City vs. Arsenal (Champions League quarterfinal, 1st leg)
- April 14/15: Arsenal vs. Man City (Champions League quarterfinal, 2nd leg)
- April 18/19: Man City vs. Arsenal (Premier League)
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Arsenal vs. Man City head-to-head record
Overall, Arsenal have a clear advantage in the historical head-to-head, with 100 wins to City’s 65. There have been 49 draws between the clubs.
City closed up this gap notably between November 2017 and April 2023 when they won 12 consecutive Premier League games against Arsenal.
The last of these was a 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium that meant Guardiola’s side took a huge step towards the Premier League title at the Gunners’ expense.
Since then, Arsenal have not tasted defeat against City in six matches, with three wins and three draws. The first of those draws was in the 2023 FA Community Shield, which the north London club won on penalties.
