Champions League draw: Date, format and seeded teams for 2026-27 league phase

The 36-team league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League is now complete, with AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava, Fenerbahce and Viking claiming the final four places.

Each club will play eight matches in the league phase, including four at home and four away. The fixtures will be determined by a draw in which the 36 teams are divided into four pots.

Every side will face two opponents from each pot, producing a total of eight matches. The results will then be combined in one league table, with the top eight teams progressing directly to the last 16.

Teams finishing between ninth and 16th will enter a play-off against clubs placed from 17th to 24th. The eight winners of those ties will complete the last-16 line-up.

The play-off pairings will be decided by a further draw. The teams finishing ninth and 10th will be drawn against one of the sides in 23rd or 24th, with the same system applying to the remaining positions.

The league-phase draw will take place at 19:00 on Thursday, 27 August. It will be broadcast by beIN Sports News.

Four clubs will appear in the Champions League for the first time: Norwegian side Viking, Azerbaijan’s Sabah, Austrian club LASK and Italian team Como. Viking, Sabah and LASK qualified through the play-offs, while Como secured a direct place.

Teams in the league phase

England will be represented by Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool.

Spain’s five entrants are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico de Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis.

Germany has four clubs involved: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart. Italy’s representatives are Inter, Napoli, Roma and Como.

Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Lille will represent France, while the Netherlands has PSV and Feyenoord in the competition.

Portugal’s two clubs are Porto and Sporting CP. Turkiye is represented by Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, while Norway has Bodø/Glimt and Viking.

The remaining teams are Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, Slavia Praha of the Czech Republic, Club Brugge of Belgium, Sabah of Azerbaijan, LASK of Austria, AEK Athens of Greece and Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia.

Seeding pots

The first pot consists of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid.

The second pot contains Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Club Brugge, PSV and Real Betis.

Feyenoord, Lille, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are listed in the third pot.

The fourth pot comprises LASK Linz, Sabah, Slavia Praha, Stuttgart, Como, Lens, Fenerbahce, Viking, Slovan Bratislava and AEK Athens.

Match schedule

The league phase will begin with the first round of matches from 8 to 10 September. The remaining rounds will be played on the following dates:

– Second round: 13-14 October – Third round: 20-21 October – Fourth round: 3-4 November – Fifth round: 24-25 November – Sixth round: 8-9 December – Seventh round: 19-20 January 2027 – Eighth round: 27 January 2027

The last-16 play-off matches are scheduled for 16-17 and 23-24 February 2027.

The last 16 will take place on 9-10 and 16-17 March, followed by the quarter-finals on 6-7 and 13-14 April.

The semi-final first and second legs are scheduled for 27-28 April and 4-5 May. The final will be played on 5 June 2027 at the Metropolitano in Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain enter the new campaign as the holders, having won the Champions League in each of the previous two editions.