The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league-phase draw will take place on Thursday, August 27 in Monaco, with 36 clubs set to discover their opponents for the opening phase of the competition.
Here is everything to know ahead of the draw.
1. How the Champions League league-phase draw works
A total of 36 teams will compete in the league phase, with 29 clubs having qualified automatically at the end of last season and the remaining places determined through qualifying rounds.
Under the new format, each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents.
Every club will face two teams from each of the four pots, with four matches played at home and four away.
The opponents will be selected by a computerised draw system, which determines each club’s eight fixtures while ensuring the competition’s draw rules are followed.
2. The teams in Pot 1
Pot 1 features some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The nine teams currently listed in Pot 1 are:
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Liverpool
- Inter Milan
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
- Atletico Madrid
3. The teams in Pot 2
Manchester United and Europa League winners Aston Villa are among the teams in Pot 2.
The pot also includes:
- Aston Villa
- Manchester United
- Borussia Dortmund
- Roma
- Sporting
- Porto
- Club Brugge
- PSV Eindhoven
- Real Betis
4. The teams in Pot 3
The confirmed Pot 3 teams include:
- Feyenoord
- Lille
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Galatasaray
Several other clubs will be placed in Pot 3 or Pot 4 depending on the outcome of the qualifying rounds.
They include Bodo/Glimt, LASK Linz, Sabah, Slavia Prague, Stuttgart, Como, Lens and the winners of Fenerbahce vs Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking, Slovan Bratislava vs Celje and Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens.
5. How teams qualify for the knockout rounds
The top eight teams in the league-phase table will qualify directly for the round of 16.
Teams finishing from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off, while clubs finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated from European competition.
The teams placed ninth to 16th will be seeded and face clubs finishing 17th to 24th, with the seeded sides hosting the second leg.
The eight play-off winners will then face one of the top eight teams in the round of 16.
6. When the league-phase matches will be played
The eight league-phase matchdays are scheduled for:
- Matchday 1: September 8-10
- Matchday 2: October 13-14
- Matchday 3: October 20-21
- Matchday 4: November 3-4
- Matchday 5: November 24-25
- Matchday 6: December 8-9
- Matchday 7: January 19-20
- Matchday 8: January 27
7. When are the Champions League knockout matches?
The knockout phase will begin in February, with the final scheduled for June.
- Knockout play-offs: February 16-17 and 23-24
- Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
- Quarter-finals: April 6-7 and 13-14
- Semi-finals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
- Final: June 5
8. Where will the 2027 Champions League final be played?
The 2026/27 Champions League final will be staged at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on June 5, 2027.
The approximately 70,000-capacity stadium, home of Atletico Madrid, will host its second Champions League final after staging Liverpool’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
Vanguard News
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