Champions League 2026-27 Draw: Date and Process Explained
The draw for the Champions League will be held at 17:00 BST on Thursday, 27 August in Monaco. A total of 36 teams have qualified for this phase.
How Does the Champions League Draw Work?
Teams are divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings. Starting with pot one, each team is drawn individually. UEFA’s automated software then assigns eight opponents for each team, ensuring that no fixtures violate competition rules.
- Pot One Teams: Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
- Each team plays a total of eight games—two matches against teams from each of the other three pots, one home and one away.
- English teams cannot face other English sides during the league phase.
- No team faces an opponent from the same country more than twice across all fixtures.
- Matches between clubs from the same nation are not allowed during the league phase.
This process continues until all fixtures for the 36 teams have been finalized.
Europa League Draw Details
The Europa League draw follows the Champions League draw by one day, starting at 12:00 BST on Friday, 28 August. It also features 36 teams split into four pots, with each side receiving eight fixtures based on the same criteria as the Champions League.
The draws for both the Europa League and the Conference League happen during the same ceremony.
- No physical balls are used for these draws; instead, UEFA employs a fully digital format to speed up the process and improve efficiency.
Conference League Draw Overview
The Conference League draw happens immediately after the Europa League draw, within the same event.
- This league phase has six rounds of fixtures, fewer than the eight rounds in the Champions and Europa Leagues.
- The 36 participating clubs are divided into six pots of six teams each.
- Each team is drawn against one team from each of the six pots, creating a unique set of opponents.
Related Information
- Qualified teams for the Champions League league phase
- Summer transfer window closing dates
- Changes in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) for 2026-27 season
- Understanding football transfer add-ons