The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase will take place today, Thursday, August 27, with Europe’s top clubs set to discover their opponents for the new campaign.
The draw will feature 36 teams, divided into four pots of nine clubs. Each team will be drawn against eight different opponents — two from each pot — with four matches at home and four away.
When is the Champions League draw?
The draw is scheduled for:
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 6:00pm CET / 5:00pm UK time
Venue: Monaco
For viewers in Nigeria, the draw begins at 5:00pm Nigerian time.
UEFA has confirmed that the ceremony will be streamed live through its official digital platforms.
How to watch the draw
Football fans can watch the draw live and free through:
- UEFA.com
- UEFA.tv
- The UEFA Champions League app
Additional broadcasters may also carry the ceremony in individual countries.
Watch the Champions League draw on UEFA.com
Champions League 2026/27 draw pots
UEFA has confirmed the following four 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
- Bodø/Glimt
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Fenerbahçe
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Galatasaray
Pot 4
- Slavia Prague
- Slovan Bratislava
- Stuttgart
- AEK Athens
- LASK
- Como
- Lens
- Viking
- Sabah
How the new Champions League format works
The competition continues with the 36-team league phase introduced in 2024/25.
Instead of traditional groups, every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents — four at home and four away.
The top eight teams in the league table qualify directly for the Round of 16.
Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs, while clubs finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
When will the matches begin?
The league phase will start in September.
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, 2027
UEFA says the complete fixture list, including individual match dates and kick-off times, will be released no later than Saturday, August 29.
When is the 2027 Champions League final?
The 2026/27 Champions League season will conclude with the final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on June 5, 2027.
Paris Saint-Germain enter the campaign as the defending champions after retaining the trophy, while Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are among the other major clubs in the competition.
The big question
With 36 teams set to discover their opponents, attention will be on which clubs receive the toughest combinations of fixtures and which teams get a potentially favourable route to the knockout stages.
OnPointGist will provide updates on the Champions League draw, fixtures and major reactions as the 2026/27 European campaign gets underway.
