UCL Draw: Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus Set for Showdown As Spurs and Villarreal Drawn Together
- Ghanaian duo Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus are set for an exciting clash in this season’s UEFA Champions League
- Both players have enjoyed impressive starts to their domestic campaigns and will be eager to replicate that form on Europe’s grandest stage
- The new league phase of the competition begins between September 16 and 18, with 36 clubs battling to dethrone reigning champions PSG
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Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus are set to carry Ghana’s flag proudly in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase after the draw was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, August 28.
The Black Stars pair, who both made moves in the summer transfer window, will clash later in the season as Villarreal and Tottenham cross paths in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Source: Getty Images
Kudus and Partey set to face off in 2025/26 Champions League
For Mohammed Kudus, the season marks a fresh chapter. His Tottenham side, off to a flying start in the Premier League, will play Champions League football again after a two-year break, per Spursweb.
The North Londoners face a tricky set of fixtures:
- Borussia Dortmund (H)
- Paris Saint-Germain (A)
- Villarreal (H)
- Frankfurt (A)
- Slavia Praha (H)
- Bodø/Glimt (A)
- Copenhagen (H)
- Monaco (A)
For Kudus, this is more than just a chance to shine. The Nima-born starboy once tasted Champions League nights with Ajax, where he scored four goals and chipped in with two assists in nine games, as cited by Transfermarkt.
He would look to build on that, this time when he steps onto the grand stage again with added responsibility as one of Spurs’ brightest sparks.
Partey's Villarreal handed tricky draw
Thomas Partey, meanwhile, will guide Villarreal back into the competition for the first time since the 2021/22 campaign, when they reached the semi-final before falling to Liverpool.
The Yellow Submarine’s schedule promises high drama:
- Manchester City (H)
- Borussia Dortmund (A)
- Juventus (H)
- Leverkusen (A)
- Ajax (H)
- Tottenham (A)
- Copenhagen (H)
- Pafos (A)
But from a Ghanaian lens, all eyes will be on the showdown with Spurs, where Partey lines up against Kudus in what could be a thrilling midfield duel.
Both players share a burning ambition to make history. For Partey, this is familiar ground.
Source: Getty Images
He has already featured in a Champions League final with Atletico Madrid and reached the semi-finals with Arsenal last season.
This time, he dreams of going one better and joining the exclusive list of Ghanaian winners — names like Samuel Osei Kuffour, Abedi Ayew, Ibrahim Tanko, Michael Essien, and Sulley Muntari.
For Kudus, the competition represents unfinished business. His early experiences with Ajax gave him a taste, but Spurs’ return offers him the platform to truly stamp his authority on Europe.
When will the fixtures begin?
The league phase of the Champions League kicks off between September 16 and 18, with the final round of fixtures set for January 28, 2026, when all clubs will play simultaneously.
As Partey and Kudus prepare for their European adventures, Ghanaian fans will watch with pride and anticipation, knowing that two of their finest midfielders are about to bring a touch of Ghanaian flair to football’s grandest stage.
Five Ghanaians who have won the Champions League
Earlier, YEN.com.gh highlighted the five Ghanaian footballers who have lifted the prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy.
The trail was first blazed in 1993 by the iconic Abedi Ayew, and since then, four more stars from Ghana have gone on to etch their names into the competition’s history.
Source: YEN.com.gh
