The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League draw takes place on August 27, setting the stage for another season of elite European club football. A total of 36 teams will discover their league-phase opponents as the competition enters its third season under the expanded format.
The draw is being held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the ceremony scheduled for 6pm local time, or 16:00 GMT. Instead of traditional groups, every club will be placed into one 36-team league table and will play eight matches against eight different opponents.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain headline the field after winning the 2025/26 Champions League final against Arsenal. PSG are now aiming to become only the fourth club to win Europe’s premier competition three seasons in a row.
How the 2026/27 Champions League Draw Works
The new Champions League format gives each participating team eight league-phase matches.
Every club will face:
- Two teams from Pot 1
- Two teams from Pot 2
- Two teams from Pot 3
- Two teams from Pot 4
Each team will play four matches at home and four away. Clubs cannot be drawn against another team from the same country.
The seeding pots are determined using UEFA’s five-year club coefficient rankings, with the draw software responsible for allocating each team’s eight opponents.
This format replaces the old Champions League group-stage system and means all 36 teams compete in a single league table.
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
- Bodo/Glimt
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Fenerbahce
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Galatasaray
Pot 4
- Slavia Prague
- Slovan Bratislava
- VfB Stuttgart
- AEK Athens
- LASK
- Como
- Lens
- Viking Stavanger
- Sabah FK
Five Premier League Clubs in the Champions League
England has five representatives in the 2026/27 Champions League.
Arsenal return after reaching last season’s final, while Manchester City and Liverpool also feature among the leading contenders. Manchester United are back in the competition after missing out during the previous two seasons.
Aston Villa complete the Premier League lineup after their strong domestic and European campaign.
The English clubs will be hoping to make another deep run after Premier League teams enjoyed considerable success across UEFA competitions last season.
PSG Begin Champions League Title Defence
Paris Saint-Germain enter the tournament as the team everyone wants to beat.
The French champions secured their second consecutive European crown in May, defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time in Budapest.
PSG’s latest triumph made them the first club since Real Madrid’s three consecutive titles from 2016 through 2018 to successfully defend the European Cup.
Luis Enrique’s side now have an opportunity to create another piece of Champions League history by winning the trophy for a third successive season.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City Among the Favourites
PSG will face fierce competition from several European giants.
Real Madrid remain the competition’s most successful club with 15 European titles and will be determined to reclaim the trophy. Barcelona and Bayern Munich also enter with squads capable of challenging for the championship.
Manchester City and Arsenal are among the leading English contenders, while Liverpool will also be expected to compete deep into the tournament.
With the league phase offering eight matches instead of six group games, consistency across the opening months will be particularly important.
New Champions League Draw Rule Affects Arsenal and Liverpool
UEFA has introduced an important rule for the 2026/27 league-phase draw.
The same fixture cannot be played in the league phase for three consecutive seasons. That means Arsenal cannot simply repeat their previous league-phase meeting with Inter Milan away, while Liverpool cannot again face Real Madrid at home.
If those pairings are selected again, the corresponding fixture would be reversed to the other club’s stadium.
The rule adds another layer of complexity to the draw and should help create greater variety in the league-phase schedule.
Four Clubs Set for Champions League Debuts
The 2026/27 competition will feature four clubs making their debut in the Champions League league phase.
Italian club Como will enter the competition under former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, while Austria’s LASK and Norway’s Viking Stavanger will also take part.
Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK complete the group of newcomers. The club was founded in 2017, making its arrival in Europe’s premier club competition a notable achievement.
Slovan Bratislava also secured qualification, with former Manchester City star Yaya Toure making history as the first African coach to lead a team into the main round of the Champions League.
When Are the Champions League League-Phase Matches?
The league phase begins in September and continues through January.
- Matchday 1: September 8-10, 2026
- 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, 2027
- Matchday 8: January 27
The complete fixture schedule is expected to follow shortly after the draw.
What Happens After the League Phase?
The final league standings will determine which clubs advance.
The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Champions League round of 16.
Teams finishing 9th through 24th will enter the knockout play-offs. Those matches will determine the remaining eight round-of-16 participants.
Clubs finishing 25th through 36th will be eliminated from the competition.
This structure makes every league-phase match important because a club’s final position can determine whether it receives a direct route to the last 16, must navigate a play-off or exits Europe altogether.
Champions League Knockout-Stage Dates
The knockout phase begins in February 2027.
- Knockout play-offs: February 16, 17, 23 and 24
- Round of 16: March 9, 10, 16 and 17
- Quarterfinals: April 6, 7, 13 and 14
- Semifinals: April 27, 28, May 4 and 5
- Final: June 5
Where Is the 2027 Champions League Final?
The 2026/27 Champions League season will conclude in Madrid.
The final is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano, the home stadium of Atletico Madrid. The venue has a capacity of more than 70,000 spectators and will host European football’s biggest club match.
The possibility of another all-English final will be one of the major storylines if Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United or Aston Villa can navigate the league and knockout phases successfully.
Why the Champions League Draw Matters
The draw is more significant under the current format because every club must navigate eight different opponents rather than a traditional six-match group stage.
A difficult combination of opponents could make finishing inside the top eight considerably harder, while a favourable schedule could provide an important advantage.
For Europe’s biggest clubs, the objective will be to avoid the knockout play-offs and secure direct qualification for the round of 16. For teams from the lower pots, reaching the top 24 will be the immediate target.
The 2026/27 Champions League draw therefore sets the foundation for the entire European campaign.
With PSG chasing a historic third consecutive title and traditional giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal looking to stop them, the new league phase promises another highly competitive Champions League season.
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