The league phase draw for the 2026-27 Champions League campaign is set to unfold on Thursday, 27 August, at 17:00 BST in Monaco. A total of 36 teams will enter this stage of the competition, with 29 having qualified last season and the remaining seven securing their spots through play-offs.
These 36 teams will be sorted into four pots, ranked from highest (Pot 1) to lowest (Pot 4), based on their UEFA club coefficient ranking from the five-season period concluding in 2025-26. Each team will play eight different opponents, with an equal split of four home and four away fixtures, and cannot be drawn against a team from their own country.
Premier League powerhouses Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all placed in Pot 1. They are joined by European giants such as Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Returning to the Champions League this season, Aston Villa and Manchester United feature in Pot 2 alongside teams including Borussia Dortmund, Roma, and Sporting.
UEFA has also introduced a new rule, announced on Wednesday, preventing sides from hosting the same team in three consecutive league phases. This means Liverpool will not draw Real Madrid at home, and Arsenal will not travel to Inter Milan, though these fixtures could be drawn in reverse.