The UEFA Champions League 2026/27 is ready to start with 36 teams signed up for the league phase. The last seven places have been determined by the qualification rounds, which concluded on August 26.
The league phase draw will take place on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The ceremony is to start at 6 PM CET, 9:30 PM IST. Fans will find out which 8 opponents their favourite teams will face during the league phase.
The tournament continues with the league phase format introduced in the 2024/25 season. Instead of the traditional group stage, 36 clubs will compete in one league table and each team will play 8 matches against 8 different opponents.
What are the UEFA Champions League draw documents and dates that you should know about the 2026/27 draw?
List of 36 Champions League teams
The 36 teams have been divided into four pots of nine teams according to their UEFA club coefficient rankings at the end of the 2025/26 season.
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
Sabah
The 36-team field includes some of Europe's biggest clubs, including defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
There are also some interesting returnees and debutants. Manchester United are back in the Champions League after the club missed the competition for the last two years. Azerbaijan’s Sabah have made it to the league for the first time after their qualifying play-off. Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt also made another appearance in the competition.
The final seven teams to qualify through the play-offs were Bodo/Glimt, LASK, Sabah, AEK Athens, Fenerbahce, Viking and Slovan Bratislava.
What is the Champions League 2026/27 format?
The Champions League no longer has a traditional group stage. All 36 teams appear in one league table.
Each club will play eight matches against 8 different opponents. Four matches will be played at home and four away for each team. Each club will face two opponents from each of the four seeding pots.
During the league phase, teams cannot face another club from the same country. UEFA also has additional restrictions to prevent clubs from repeatedly facing the same opponents at the same venue in consecutive seasons.
The results from all eight matches will determine the single league table.
The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16.
Teams finishing ninth to 24th will enter the knockout phase play-offs. These teams will play two-legged ties, with winners going to the Round of 16.
Teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated from European competition. Unlike the old format, they will not drop into the Europa League.
In this way, every game has a bearing on the final result. A strong start could give a team a shot at the Round of 16 and a team that finishes in the middle of the table will have to play the play-offs.
The league phase also allows for the possibility of a few big European clashes before the knockout rounds.
Important Champions League 2026/27 dates
The league will begin on September 8, 2026 and last until January 2027.
The matchdays are scheduled as follows:
Matchday 1: September 8-10, 2026. Matchday 2: October 13-14, 2026. Matchday 3: October 20-21, 2026. Matchday 4: November 3-4, 2026. Matchday 5: November 24-25 2026. Matchday 6: December 8-9, 2026. Matchday 7: January 19-20, 2027. Matchday 8: January 27, 2027
The knockout phase will then begin in February 2027.
The knockout phase play-offs will take place on February 16-17 and February 23-24, followed by the Round of 16 in March.
The quarter-finals will be played in April, and the semi-finals will be held in late April and early May.
The Champions League final is on 5 June 2027.
Where Can You Watch the Champions League Draw?
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase draw will be held on August 27 in Monaco.
The ceremony will start at 6 PM CET (9:30 PM in India).
International fans can watch the draw live from UEFA.com and UEFA.tv, with UEFA explaining that the draw will be free of charge. UEFA's official Champions League app will also be available online for coverage.
The actual fixtures will not be announced immediately during the draw. UEFA has said the full Champions League fixture list, including match dates and kick-off times, will be released no later than August 29.
The draw will therefore set the stage for another season in European football with 36 clubs competing for a place in the knockout rounds.
The current champions Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to continue their European dominance, while clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal will aim to challenge for the trophy.
With the league phase starting on September 8, the Champions League 2026/27 season is just around the corner. The August 27 draw will show the eight opponents each club must meet on the way to the June 5 final.
