The draw for the 2026-2027 Champions League league phase takes place this Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 6:00 PM, involving—of course—Paris Saint-Germain (the reigning French and European champions). Which teams will PSG have to face to reach the Round of 16 or the knockout play-offs? Follow the coverage here, in addition to the live stream provided by PSG (at the bottom of the article).
Qualified clubs in each pot:
Pot 1: PSG (FRA), Bayern Munich (ALL), Real Madrid (ESP), Liverpool (ANG), Inter Milan (ITA), Manchester City (ANG), Arsenal (ANG), FC Barcelona (ESP), Atlético de Madrid (ESP).
Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund (ALL), AS Roma (ITA), Sporting CP (POR), Aston Villa (ANG), FC Porto (POR), Manchester United (ANG), Club Brugge (BEL), Betis Sevilla (ESP), PSV Eindhoven (HOL).
Pot 3: Feyenoord (HOL), Lille (FRA), Bodö/Glimt (NOR), Napoli (ITA), RB Leipzig (ALL), Villarreal (ESP), Fenerbahçe (TUR), Shakhtior Donetsk (UKR), Galatasaray (TUR).
Pot 4: Slavia Prague (RTC), Slovan Bratislava (SLQ), VfB Stuttgart (GER), AEK Athens (GRE), Linz ASK (AUT), Como (ITA), Lens (FRA), Viking Stavanger (NOR), Sabah FC (AZE).
How the draw and league phase work:
(Source: UEFA website)
“Under the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (formerly the group stage). Instead of facing three opponents twice—home and away—they will play against eight different teams, with half of these matches played at home and the other half away.
To determine the eight opponents, teams will first be ranked 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.”
Teams from the same country cannot face each other in the league phase, nor can a team face more than two opponents from the same domestic league.
Qualification based on the standings:
1st to 8th: qualification for the Round of 16.
9th to 24th: qualification for a two-legged knockout play-off round.
25th to 36th: elimination from all European competitions.
Pot 1 opponents:
PSG:
Bayern Munich:
Real Madrid :
Liverpool:
Inter Milan:
Manchester City:
Arsenal:
FC Barcelona:
Atletico Madrid:
French clubs:
Lens :
Lille :
