The stage is set for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase draw, which will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from 18:00 CET on Thursday, August 28.
This year’s edition introduces the new “league phase” format, which replaces the traditional group stage. Instead of groups, 36 clubs will be drawn to face eight different opponents in a single-leg system — four matches at home and four away.
In total, 144 games will be played across eight matchdays, starting on September 16 and running until January 28, 2026. Fixtures will kick off at either 18:45 CET or 21:00 CET.
Based on Article 16 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations, the following draw procedure has been adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.
All league phase matches are played in accordance with the league system, whereby each club plays eight opponents in single-leg ties. Each club plays four home and four away matches.
A draw, which may be conducted digitally, determines the pairings for the league phase. The 36 clubs are divided into four pots of nine clubs. The pots are composed according to the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season (see Annex D) and with the UEFA Champions League titleholder being the top seed in pot 1.
The opponents of each team, as well as whether each match is played at home or away, are determined by means of a draw. Each team is drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots and plays one opponent from each pot at home, and the other away. In principle, teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other, and each team may play against a maximum of two opponents from any other association, subject to Paragraph 16.03.
The UEFA administration may determine alternative conditions for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee and may adapt any of the conditions of the draw to avoid deadlock situations and/or take into account any relevant constraints in light of decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee.
The draw is executed partly manually, with balls physically drawn from a bowl, and partly digitally, through a designated automated software, as further explained in the procedure below. The whole draw process (digital and manual) is reviewed and checked by an appointed external auditor.
Four bowls are prepared for the draw, one for each of the four draw pots. Each bowl comprises nine balls containing the names of the teams forming the pot.
A ball is physically drawn at random from the relevant bowl and is opened to display the name of the team drawn.
Once the name of the team is displayed, the automated software randomly draws eight opponents for this team, two from each pot (1, 2, 3 and 4), including, for each opponent, whether they are played at home or away. The order of allocation of opponents starts with pot 1 (two opponents), followed by the other pots in descending order. The software draws the possible valid opponents from all pots respecting the above-mentioned draw conditions, and ensuring that a valid allocation is made, guaranteeing the full draw and match schedule in line with the competition calendar can be completed for all teams. This allocation by the software is made within a predefined time limit.
Once a valid allocation has been drawn by the software, the opponents and which matches are played at home or away will be revealed.
The procedure is then repeated for all remaining teams of pot 1.
Whilst proceeding with the draw, a number of opponents will have already been drawn and directly displayed, so reducing the number of opponents to be drawn for the subsequent teams.
As for pot 1, a ball is physically drawn at random from the relevant bowl and is opened to display the name of the team drawn.
The two opponents of pot 1 for this team were already determined during the draw for pot 1 teams.
The software therefore draws, with the same procedure as described for pot 1, two opponents from each of the remaining pots (2, 3 and 4), including, for each opponent, whether they will be played at home or away.
The procedure is then repeated for the remaining teams of pot 2.
The procedure is the same as for pot 1 and pot 2. Only opponents from pots 3 and 4 need to be drawn.
Pot 1
1. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
2. Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)
3. Manchester City (ENG)
4. FC Bayern München (GER)
5. Liverpool FC (ENG)
6. FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)
7. Chelsea FC (ENG)
8. Borussia Dortmund (GER)
9. FC Barcelona (ESP)
Pot 2
10. Arsenal FC (ENG)
11. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)
12. Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
13. SL Benfica (POR)
14. Atalanta BC (ITA)
15. Villarreal CF (ESP)
16. Juventus (ITA)
17. Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
18. Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Pot 3
19. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
20. PSV Eindhoven (NED)
21. AFC Ajax (NED)
22. SSC Napoli (ITA)
23. Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
24. Olympiacos FC (GRE)
25. SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
26. FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
27. Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Pot 4
28. F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)
29. AS Monaco (FRA)
30. Galatasaray A.Ş. (TUR)
31. R. Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
32. Qarabağ FK (AZE)
33. Athletic Club (ESP)
34. Newcastle United FC (ENG)
35. Pafos FC (CYP)
36. FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
In accordance with Paragraph 23.01 (b) of the competition regulations, the UEFA administration decides which matches are played on Tuesday, which on Wednesday and which on Thursday (MD1 only), as well as the kick-off times.
Furthermore, as per Paragraph 17.02 of the above-mentioned regulations a club, in principle, does not play more than two home or two away matches in a row, and each club plays one home match and one away match in the first two matchdays and the last two matchdays. If need be, however, the UEFA administration may derogate from these rules.
The calendar of all matches of the league phase will be available on Saturday, 30 August.
In accordance with paragraph 16.03 of the UEFA Champions League regulations, the UEFA Club Competitions Committee has determined an additional condition that may be applicable to the UEFA Champions League draw for the 2026/27 season, deciding that any individual fixture between the same two teams may not be repeated in the same competition with the same home team for three consecutive seasons.
This means that if any teams that already played against each other in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in the 2024/25 season are again drawn against each other, with the same home team, in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in this 2025/26 season, those teams will not be able to be drawn against each other with the same home team in the 2026/27 season (although, for the sake of clarity, those teams could still be drawn against each other at the venue of the other team).
(UEFA)
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