The road to European football’s biggest prize enters another important stage on Thursday as the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league-phase draw takes place in Monaco.
With the qualifying rounds nearing their conclusion, the competition’s 36-team league phase is set to take shape, with the likes of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester City among the heavyweights waiting to discover their opponents.
The draw is scheduled for 6pm CET on Thursday, August 27, with the 36 clubs divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients.
Each team will be drawn against eight different opponents, with two clubs coming from each pot.
Teams cannot face another club from their own country during the league phase.
How the Champions League qualifying phase works
A total of 29 teams qualified directly for the league phase based on their performances during the 2025/26 domestic season.
The remaining seven places are being decided through the qualifying rounds, with clubs entering at different stages according to the coefficient ranking of their respective associations.
The qualifying competition consists of two-legged ties.
The first qualifying round was played on July 7/8 and 14/15, followed by the second round on July 21/22 and 28/29.
The third qualifying round took place on August 4/5 and 11, while the play-offs are scheduled for August 18/19 and 25/26.
When is the Champions League draw?
The league-phase draw takes place on Thursday, August 27, at 6pm CET in Monaco.
The draw will determine the league phase opponents for all 36 clubs.
The four pots are based on UEFA’s five-year club coefficient rankings at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Champions League 2026/27 draw pots
Pot 1
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Liverpool
- Inter Milan
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
- Atletico Madrid
Pot 2
- Borussia Dortmund
- Roma
- Sporting CP
- Aston Villa
- Porto
- Manchester United
- Club Brugge
- Real Betis
- PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3
- Feyenoord
- Lille
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Bodo/Glimt
- Galatasaray
- Fenerbahce
Pot 4
- Slovan Bratislava
- Stuttgart
- Slavia Prague
- AEK Athens
- Como
- Lens
- Sabah
- LASK
- Viking
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The arrangement means some of Europe’s biggest clubs could be handed difficult league phase schedules, with teams from different pots potentially meeting across the eight matchdays.
How the new league phase works
The Champions League no longer uses the traditional group stage format.
All 36 clubs are placed into one league table and each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents.
After the eight matchdays, the standings determine who progresses. the top eight teams qualify automatically for the Round of 16.
Teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout phase playoffs, where they will compete for the remaining Round of 16 places.
The teams finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition.
Champions League league phase dates
The league phase begins in September and continues until January.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | September 8-10, 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | October 13-14, 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | October 20-21, 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | November 3-4, 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | November 24-25, 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | December 8-9, 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | January 19-20, 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | January 27, 2027 |
What happens after the league phase?
The knockout-phase play-offs are scheduled for February 16/17 and 23/24, 2027.
The Round of 16 follows on March 9/10 and 16/17, before the quarterfinals in April.
The semi finals will be played across April 27/28 and May 4/5.
Where is the 2027 Champions League final?
The Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atletico Madrid, will host the 2026/27 Champions League final on Saturday, June 5, 2027.
It will be the second Champions League final staged at the Madrid stadium.
The first came in 2019, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in an all-English final.
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