The 2025-2026 Champions League kicks off on September 17th, followed by group matches through January 29th to determine the standings for a single league. Before that, the draw will be held to determine the opponents (two per pot, as explained below). This will take place this Thursday, August 28th at 6:00 PM. Paris Saint-Germain, in particular, will be included.
Draw broadcast:
UEFA will be streaming it.
As a reminder, one team from each pot will be placed in each group, with the rule that two clubs from the same country cannot be in the same group.
Qualified clubs from each pot:
This is still tentative, based on the last play-offs this week, for clubs that are not “checked”:
Pot 1 : PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, FC Barcelone.
Pot 2 : Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta Bergame, Villarreal, Juventus Turin, Eintracht Francfort, Club Bruges.
Pot 3 : Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax Amsterdam, Naples, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, OM.
Pot 4 : FC Copenhague, AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat Almaty.
How the draw and the league will work:
(Source: UEFA website)
“With the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (formerly the group stage). They will no longer face three opponents twice – home and away – but eight different teams, playing half of these matches at home and half away.
To determine the eight opponents, the teams will first be placed into four pots. Each team will then be drawn to face two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home and one match away.”
It is not possible to face teams from the same country in the league phase, nor more than two teams from the same championship.
Qualifications based on ranking:
1st to 8th: Qualification for the round of 16.
9th to 24th: Qualification for a two-legged playoff.
25th to 36th: Elimination from all European competitions.
