Full Breakdown
UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League-Phase Draw: Format, Schedule and Qualified Teams
8/25/2026, 11:16:47 AM
Draw Details and Timing
The league-phase draw for 2026/27 will be held on Thursday, August 27 at 5 p.m. UK time in Monaco, broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and streamed via HBO Max. The draw sets the eight opponents each of the 36 clubs will face in the new league-phase format.
Competition Format and Pot Allocation
The competition features a single league of 36 teams (introduced in 2024/25). Each club plays eight matches – four at home and four away – against two opponents from each of four seeded pots.
- Pot 1 (UEFA coefficients): Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid.
- Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven, etc.
- Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, plus the Fenerbahçe vs Lyon winner.
- Pot 4: VfB Stuttgart, Levski Sofia, AEK Athens, Como, Lens, plus the Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Sabah winner.
Seven places are pending from the play-off round, concluding on Wednesday, August 26; those clubs will be placed in Pot 3 or Pot 4.
Qualified Teams by Nation
Thirty-one clubs have secured entry (NBC News):
- England (5) – Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool
- Spain (5) – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis
- Germany (4) – Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart
- Italy (4) – Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como
- France (3) – Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille
- Portugal (2) – Porto, Sporting Lisbon
- Netherlands (2) – PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
- Belgium (1) – Club Brugge
- Turkey (1) – Galatasaray
- Czech Republic (1) – Slavia Prague
- Ukraine (1) – Shakhtar Donetsk
The remaining seven spots will go to play-off winners.
Match Schedule and Play-off Structure
The league phase runs from September 8 to January 27, covering eight matchdays:
- MD 1: Sep 8-10
- MD 2: Oct 13-14
- MD 3: Oct 20-21
- MD 4: Nov 3-4
- MD 5: Nov 24-25
- MD 6: Dec 8-9
- MD 7: Jan 19-20
The top eight clubs advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing 9th-24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off, with seeded (9-16) drawn against unseeded (17-24). Play-off winners join the eight seeded clubs in the round of 16.
Knockout dates (Sky Sports):
- Play-offs: Feb 16-17 & 23-24
- Round of 16: Mar 9-10 & 16-17
- Quarter-finals: Apr 6-7 & 13-14
- Semi-finals: Apr 27-28 & May 4-5
- Final: June 5 2027, Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sky Sports says teams 9th-24th contest the play-offs, while NBC News lists 9th-28th. Both agree the top eight go straight to the round of 16 and the bottom eight are eliminated. The discrepancy reflects a lack of confirmed UEFA documentation for the season.
What's Next
The August 27 draw will finalize pot assignments for the seven qualifiers and complete the fixture list. Clubs will then prepare for their eight league matches, aiming for a direct round-of-16 berth or a play-off spot. The competition concludes with the final in Madrid on June 5 2027.
