The league‑phase draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League is set to take place on Thursday in Monaco, kicking off at 5 p.m. UK time.
Below is a comprehensive guide covering everything fans need to know before the event begins. A total of 36 clubs will be part of the league phase at this stage.
Twenty‑nine of those teams earned their spots by qualifying through their domestic campaigns last season, while the remaining seven places will be filled by clubs that progress through the qualifying rounds. The competition now runs under the third season of the revised format introduced two years ago.
Under this system, each club will face eight different opponents – two clubs drawn from each of Pots 1, 2, 3 and 4. Half of those eight fixtures will be played on home soil, with the other half away. The draw itself is conducted by a sophisticated computer algorithm.
With a single press of a button, the program automatically selects the eight opponents for every club, ensuring that all the stipulated constraints are respected. While the four qualifying‑round spots are still pending, the 32 clubs that have already secured their places are confirmed.
The allocation of teams to the four pots is based on UEFA’s club coefficient rankings, which take into account each club’s performance in European competitions over the five‑year period ending with the 2025/26 season. In Pot 1 sit the defending champions Paris Saint‑Germain alongside other European powerhouses such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Pot 2 contains Manchester United and the Europa League winners Aston Villa, both of which are returning to the Champions League after a brief absence.
UEFA’s new regulations prevent a team from meeting the same league‑phase opponent for three consecutive seasons. Because Liverpool have faced Real Madrid at Anfield in the last two campaigns – winning 2‑0 in November 2024 and 1‑0 a year later – they cannot be drawn against the Spanish side at home this season. However, an away fixture against Real Madrid remains permissible.
During Thursday’s draw each club will be paired with two opponents from each pot, creating the eight‑match schedule (four home, four away). Liverpool, for instance, cannot be drawn against any other English club in the league phase, and with Arsenal and Manchester City also residing in Pot 1, Liverpool is guaranteed to meet one of Paris Saint‑Germain, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
The same logic applies to Arsenal. After playing Inter Milan away at the San Siro in the previous two campaigns – a 1‑0 loss in November 2024 followed by a 3‑1 victory in January 2025 – Arsenal will certainly be drawn against one of Paris Saint‑Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid on the road. They may also be paired with Inter at home, mirroring Liverpool’s situation with Real Madrid. When the league‑phase round concludes, the eight highest‑ranked teams will automatically progress to the round of 16.
Teams that finish 25th or lower are eliminated outright and do not drop into the Europa League. Clubs placed between ninth and 24th will enter a two‑legged knockout‑phase play‑off. Those finishing ninth to 16th are seeded, meaning they will face an unseeded opponent (positions 17‑24) with the second leg at home.
The eight winners of the play‑offs will then be matched against the eight seeded clubs to determine the quarter‑final line‑up. The league‑phase matchdays are scheduled as follows: - Matchday 1: 8–10 September - Matchday 2: 13/14 October - Matchday 3: 20/21 October - Matchday 4: 3/4 November - Matchday 5: 24/25 November - Matchday 6: 8/9 December - Matchday 7: 19/20 January - Matchday 8: 27 January The dates for the two‑legged knockout‑phase play‑offs have yet to be announced. The subsequent stages are set for: - Play‑offs: 16/17 February and 23/24 February - Round of 16: 9/10 March and 16/17 March - Quarter‑finals: 6/7 April and 13/14 April - Semi‑finals: 27/28 April and 4/5 May - Final: 5 June 2027, to be held at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.
Fans can also take part in the “Super 6” promotion for a chance to win a £1 million prize – entry is free of charge. This overview should equip supporters with all the essential details ahead of Thursday’s draw and the exciting season that lies ahead.