How Does the Champions League Draw Work? 2026/27 League Phase Draw Explained

The UEFA Champions League draw determines the eight league phase opponents each club will face on their route towards the knockout stages of Europe’s leading club competition.

Under the current Champions League format, 36 teams compete in one league table rather than being divided into traditional four-team groups. Each club is drawn against eight different opponents, playing four matches at home and four away.

The 2026/27 Champions League league phase draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday 27th August 2026, beginning at 5pm UK time. All 36 participating clubs have now been confirmed ahead of the draw.

Here is everything you need to know about how the Champions League draw works, the four pots, the rules governing which teams can face each other and what happens after the league phase.

How does the Champions League league phase draw work?

The Champions League league phase features 36 clubs, with the teams divided into four pots of nine before the draw.

Every club is assigned eight different opponents:

Two teams from Pot 1
Two teams from Pot 2
Two teams from Pot 3
Two teams from Pot 4

One opponent from each pot is faced at home and the other away, giving every club four home matches and four away matches.

Importantly, being in Pot 1 does not mean a team avoids the other highest-ranked clubs. Every team, including those in Pot 1, must face two Pot 1 opponents.

UEFA’s regulations state that clubs cannot, in principle, face another side from their own national association during the league phase. A club can also face a maximum of two opponents from any one other association.

For example, Arsenal cannot be drawn against Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United or Aston Villa during the league phase because they are all English clubs.

Is the Champions League draw done by a computer?

The Champions League draw combines a traditional physical draw with automated software.

A ball containing a club’s name is physically selected from the relevant pot. Once that team has been revealed, UEFA’s automated draw software determines its eligible eight opponents and decides which four games will be played at home and which four will be away.

The system has to account for several restrictions at the same time, including preventing clubs from the same association being paired together and ensuring no team faces more than two clubs from another association.

The process continues through Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 until the complete set of league phase pairings has been established.

How are the Champions League pots decided?

The 36 Champions League clubs are divided into four pots containing nine teams each.

The pots are primarily determined by UEFA’s club coefficient rankings, which are based on clubs’ performances in European competitions over previous seasons. The reigning Champions League holders are placed as the leading seed in Pot 1.

The pots influence which opponents a club can receive, but they do not create separate groups. Every team will face two clubs from each pot, including its own.

Champions League draw pots for 2026/27

All four pots have now been confirmed for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw.

Pot 1

Paris Saint-Germain
Bayern Munich
Real Madrid
Liverpool
Inter Milan
Manchester City
Arsenal
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid

Pot 2

Borussia Dortmund
Roma
Sporting CP
Aston Villa
Porto
Manchester United
Club Brugge
Real Betis
PSV Eindhoven

Pot 3

Feyenoord
Lille
Bodo/Glimt
Napoli
RB Leipzig
Villarreal
Fenerbahce
Shakhtar Donetsk
Galatasaray

Pot 4

Slavia Prague
Slovan Bratislava
Stuttgart
AEK Athens
LASK
Como
Lens
Viking
Sabah

The confirmed line-up means five Premier League clubs will compete in the 2026/27 Champions League: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Can teams from the same country play each other in the Champions League league phase?

Teams from the same national association cannot, in principle, be drawn against one another during the Champions League league phase.

That means there will be no all-English league phase fixtures involving Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United.

However, clubs from the same country can meet later in the competition once the Champions League reaches its knockout stages.

A team can face clubs from several different leagues during the league phase but cannot be paired with more than two opponents from any single foreign association.

What is the new Champions League three-season draw rule?

Another draw condition becomes particularly significant in 2026/27.

An individual league phase fixture cannot be repeated with the same home team for three consecutive Champions League seasons.

That does not prevent two clubs from being paired with each other again. Instead, it prevents exactly the same home-and-away designation occurring for a third straight campaign.

The rule was introduced alongside UEFA’s league phase draw conditions and can now apply for the first time because the current format entered its third season in 2026/27.

Why can’t Liverpool play Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League league phase?

Liverpool cannot be drawn at home against Real Madrid in the 2026/27 league phase.

The two clubs met at Anfield during both of the first two seasons of the league phase format, meaning UEFA’s rule preventing the same fixture with the same home club in three consecutive campaigns now applies.

Liverpool could still be drawn against Real Madrid, but the 2026/27 league phase fixture would have to take place in Madrid.

Liverpool also cannot face fellow English Pot 1 clubs Arsenal or Manchester City.

As a result, their possible Pot 1 opponents at Anfield include Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Why can’t Arsenal play Inter Milan away?

Arsenal are affected by the same rule.

The Gunners have travelled to face Inter Milan at San Siro in each of the previous two Champions League league phases.

They therefore cannot be drawn away against Inter for a third consecutive season.

Arsenal can still face Inter during the league phase, but any meeting between the clubs would have to be staged in North London.

The restriction means Arsenal’s potential away opponents from Pot 1 include Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

When will the Champions League fixtures be confirmed after the draw?

The draw determines each club’s eight league phase opponents and which games will be played home or away, but it does not immediately provide the complete fixture calendar.

UEFA has confirmed that the full Champions League league phase fixture list, including match dates and kick-off times, will be communicated no later than Saturday 29th August 2026.

The league phase itself begins on Tuesday 8th September 2026.

2026/27 Champions League league phase dates

The eight league phase matchdays are scheduled as follows:

Matchday 1: Tuesday 8th to Thursday 10th September 2026
Matchday 2: Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October 2026
Matchday 3: Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st October 2026
Matchday 4: Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th November 2026
Matchday 5: Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th November 2026
Matchday 6: Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th December 2026
Matchday 7: Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th January 2027
Matchday 8: Wednesday 27th January 2027

All 36 clubs are ranked together in a single league table across those eight matchdays.

How do teams qualify from the Champions League league phase?

Once all eight matches have been completed, the 36 teams are ranked in one overall Champions League table.

The top eight qualify automatically for the Round of 16.

Teams finishing from ninth to 24th enter a two-legged knockout phase play-off to compete for the remaining eight places in the last 16.

Teams finishing from 25th to 36th are eliminated from European competition. There is no longer a route into the Europa League for clubs knocked out at this stage.

Teams ranked ninth to 16th are seeded for the knockout phase play-offs and are paired with teams finishing from 17th to 24th.

The eight play-off winners then join the league phase’s top eight clubs in the Round of 16.

2026/27 Champions League knockout stage dates

Once the league phase has concluded, the competition moves into its knockout rounds.

Knockout phase play-offs: 16th/17th and 23rd/24th February 2027
Round of 16: 9th/10th and 16th/17th March 2027
Quarter-finals: 6th/7th and 13th/14th April 2027
Semi-finals: 27th/28th April and 4th/5th May 2027
Champions League Final: Saturday 5th June 2027

UEFA has confirmed that dates remain subject to change.

When and where is the 2027 Champions League Final?

The 2027 UEFA Champions League Final will be held at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on Saturday 5th June 2027.

Home to Atletico Madrid, the stadium previously staged the Champions League Final in 2019, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.

It will be the sixth European Cup or Champions League Final to take place in Madrid and the second to be staged at the Estadio Metropolitano.

Champions League hospitality with Eventmasters

Once the 2026/27 league phase fixtures have been confirmed, attention will turn towards some of European football’s biggest nights.

Eventmasters offers premium football hospitality experiences across a range of leading clubs and fixtures, providing the opportunity to watch elite football from some of the best seats and hospitality facilities available.

Explore our football hospitality packages to find out more about upcoming fixtures and premium matchday experiences, with availability varying by club and fixture.

Champions League Draw FAQs

What time is the Champions League draw?

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw begins at 5pm UK time on Thursday 27th August 2026 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

How many teams are in the Champions League league phase?

There are 36 teams in the Champions League league phase. All teams are placed into one overall league table rather than being separated into traditional groups.

How many Champions League league phase games does each team play?

Each club plays eight league phase matches against eight different opponents. Four games are played at home and four away.

How many teams does each club face from each Champions League pot?

Every team faces two opponents from each of the four pots. One fixture against a team from each pot is played at home and the other away.

Can Pot 1 teams play other Pot 1 teams?

Yes. Pot 1 clubs are drawn against two other Pot 1 clubs, as well as two opponents from each of Pots 2, 3 and 4.

Can English teams play each other in the Champions League league phase?

No. Clubs from the same domestic association cannot, in principle, face each other during the league phase. English clubs can meet later in the knockout stages.

Is the Champions League draw completely computerised?

No. The Champions League league phase draw combines a physical draw with automated software. A team’s ball is drawn manually before software selects its eligible opponents and determines which matches are home and away.

When will the full Champions League fixtures be announced?

UEFA says the complete 2026/27 league phase fixture schedule, including match dates and kick-off times, will be communicated no later than Saturday 29th August 2026.

When does the 2026/27 Champions League start?

The league phase begins with Matchday 1 between Tuesday 8th and Thursday 10th September 2026.

Where is the 2027 Champions League Final?

The 2027 Champions League Final will take place at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday 5th June 2027.

Can I book Champions League hospitality with Eventmasters?

Eventmasters provides premium football hospitality packages for a range of major fixtures. Champions League hospitality options are subject to fixture and package availability, with further opportunities becoming clear once the league phase schedule has been confirmed.