UEFA Champions League 2026-27 Season Draw Overview

The UEFA Champions League is returning after the 2026 World Cup has stretched the football calendar. The draw for the league phase is set for Thursday, August 27. The initial stage of the competition will kick off on Tuesday, September 8. Arsenal fans will look to move past last season’s disappointment when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) clinched their second Champions League title in a row, triumphing over Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.

A total of 36 teams aim for the 2026-27 final scheduled for June at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. The league-phase draw will outline their journey, thus it’s crucial to understand the process.

Champions League Draw Details

The draw for this year’s league phase takes place on Thursday, August 27 at 5pm BST/12pm ET at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. This draw follows the conclusion of the final qualifying games. Additionally, the Europa League and Conference League draws will occur a day later, starting at 12pm BST on Friday, August 28.

You can watch the draw on UEFA’s website, UEFA.com. UK viewers have the option of tuning in via TNT Sports 1 and the TNT Sports YouTube channel.

Draw Mechanics

The 36 teams participate in the draw categorized into four pots of nine based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings, reflecting performances over the past five years. Pot 1 comprises the highest-ranked teams, while Pot 4 contains the lowest.

During the draw, special guests, typically current or former football stars, will help select balls representing each club. UEFA’s system then automatically assigns each team their league-phase opponents. Each team plays eight matches, facing two teams from each of the four pots — four games are home and four are away matches. However, teams from the same country will not play each other in this initial phase.

Pot Breakdown

• Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
• Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV
• Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce
• Pot 4: Slavia Prague, Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, Viking, Slovan Bratislava, AEK Athens

Fixture Announcement

According to UEFA, all match schedules, including dates and kick-off times, will be made available by Saturday, August 29. The league phase starts on Tuesday, September 8, wrapping up with an 18-match event on Wednesday, January 27.

Potential Matchups

Teams have the possibility to play any two opponents from each pot, barring those from the same country. A new rule for the 2026-27 season prohibits clubs from facing the same individual league-phase opponent for three consecutive seasons.

This regulation impacts Arsenal and Liverpool, among the five English clubs. Arsenal’s previous encounters with Inter at San Siro mean a different non-English Pot 1 side must visit Arsenal this season. Liverpool, having played Madrid at Anfield in recent seasons, will host another Pot 1 team this year.