Champions League draw 2026/27: pots, teams, time and how it works
The 2026/27 Champions League league-phase draw takes place in Monaco today with Europe's leading clubs discovering the eight opponents that will shape their route through the opening stage of the competition.
The ceremony begins at 18:00 CET and features 36 clubs divided into four pots of nine. Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are among the heavyweight names involved, while Como make their first appearance in the competition.
The draw will determine eight different opponents for every club, as well as which four matches will be played at home and which four away.
Champions League draw pots in full
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético 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 and Sabah.
The pots are based on UEFA club coefficients, with the Champions League holders receiving the top seed in Pot 1.
How does the Champions League draw work?
Being in Pot 1 no longer means avoiding the competition's other leading seeds. Under the league-phase format, every club faces two teams from each of the four pots, including its own. One of those matches against a team from each pot will be played at home and the other away, giving every side a total of eight fixtures. Clubs cannot, in principle, be paired with another team from their own national association and can face no more than two opponents from any one other country.
That means Liverpool, for example, cannot face another English club but could be drawn against Barcelona and Atlético Madrid from Spain. Inter cannot face Roma, Napoli or Como but will have two opponents from each pot selected from the remaining eligible sides.
When will the Champions League fixtures be confirmed?
Thursday's draw establishes the opponents and whether each tie will be played at home or away, but supporters will have to wait for the complete fixture schedule. UEFA has confirmed that the dates and kick-off times will be announced no later than Saturday 29 August. The league phase begins between 8 and 10 September and runs until 27 January, when all 18 matches on the final matchday will determine the final standings.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the last 16, while the sides finishing between ninth and 24th must negotiate the knockout phase play-offs.
With clubs from all four major European leagues represented heavily across the pots, Thursday's draw will provide the first clear indication of which teams have been handed the most demanding routes through the 2026/27 Champions League.
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