The UEFA Champions League returns after a lengthy summer of football, marked by the 2026 World Cup. While the league-phase draw is scheduled for today, following four rounds of qualifying matches, the initial stage of the competition is set to start on Tuesday, September 8.
Last season’s final witnessed Paris Saint-Germain securing their second consecutive title, defeating Arsenal 4-3 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest. As the league-phase draw unfolds, all 36 teams aim for the ultimate goal of reaching the 2026-27 final at Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium in June.
Champions League Draw Schedule
The league-phase draw is happening today, Thursday, August 27, at 5pm BST/12pm ET at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. This follows the night of final qualifying games. The Europa League and Conference League draws are scheduled for Friday, August 28, starting at 12pm BST.
For viewing, the draw will be streamed on UEFA.com. In the UK, it is available on TNT Sports 1 and via the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
Understanding the Draw Mechanism
The 36 teams qualify from four pots, each containing nine teams, ranked by their UEFA club coefficients over the past five years. Pot 1 includes the highest-rated teams while Pot 4 contains those with the lowest ratings.
Pot 1 clubs are drawn individually by distinguished guests, often former or current football players. A UEFA supercomputer automatically handles league-phase opponent allocation, leading to eight total matches. Four of these will be home games and four away. Notably, clubs from the same country cannot face each other in this phase.
Teams in Each Pot
Pot 1 includes the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Inter.
In Pot 2, Manchester United and Aston Villa are the only English teams, joined by Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis, and PSV.
Pot 3 includes Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce.
Pot 4 consists of Slavia Prague, Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, Viking, Slovan Bratislava, and AEK Athens.
Fixture Announcement
The details regarding match dates and kick-off times will be revealed by Saturday, August 29. The league phase commences on Tuesday, September 8, and concludes with a simultaneous fixture for all 36 teams on Wednesday, January 27.
Rule Changes Affecting Club Matches
The recent restriction, noted in the Champions League regulations, states any individual fixture between the same teams cannot be repeated with the same home team for three consecutive seasons. This affects clubs Arsenal and Liverpool.
Arsenal played against Inter in Milan’s San Siro for the past two seasons. They lost 1-0 in November 2024 but won 3-1 in January this year. Therefore, Arsenal cannot play Inter away this time but can face them at Emirates Stadium in London.
Liverpool hosted Real Madrid for the past two league phases, winning 2-0 and 1-0 respectively. For the upcoming league phase, their Pot 1 home opponents will be one of PSG, Bayern, Barcelona, Atletico, or Inter.