Inaki Williams has expressed excitement following the UEFA Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday after Athletic Bilbao learned of their opponents for the 2025/26 season.
The Rojiblancos are making a return to Europe's elite competition after an 11-year absence, and have been drawn at home against champions PSG, last season's semi-finalist Arsenal, Sporting CP and Qarabag.
Meanwhile, the Basque club will travel to play former champions Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United, 2023 Europa League winners Atalanta and Slavia Prague.
"The truth is we are all excited. Today, we were discussing it is not going to be an easy group. We have some very, very special home matches," he told Athletic Club's media.
"The best teams in Europe are going to play at the San Mames. So there is a reason for Athletic fans to be excited. We have some very nice away trips too. We will try to take them head on, like we have always done in recent years. We will see how far we can go," he added.
Williams believes this is an opportunity for the players and fans of the club to experience the excitement atmosphere the competition presents.
"To be honest it's been a few years since we last heard the anthem. With the exception of Yuri, the rest have never played in the UEFA Champions League. We can't wait to here it and our fans to get excited about it," he said.
The Ghanaian and his Athletic teammates are having a good start to the season after back-to-back wins in La Liga.
He is expected to join his Black Stars teammates for the World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Mali next week.
????? @Williaaams45 on Athletic Club's @ChampionsLeague adventure:
?????? "I think the nicest and most exciting part about this is that people can learn more about our philosophy and culture."#AthleticClub ???? pic.twitter.com/r0ihpyi5ln
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) August 29, 2025
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