The UEFA Champions League 2026-27 league phase draw is set for today, August 27, 2026, at 18:00 CET in Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum. Thirty-six clubs will discover which eight opponents they’ll face across a campaign that stretches from September through late January. For the third consecutive season, European football’s premier club competition uses the expanded single-league format that replaced the old group stage. Every team plays eight matches, four at home and four away, drawn from four seeding pots based on UEFA club coefficients. The top eight finishers after those eight rounds advance directly to the knockout stage, while the next tier faces a playoff round for the remaining spots. Who’s in each pot and why it matters
Pot 1 is stacked with the continent’s heavyweights.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain sit alongside Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Pot 2 features clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa. The automated draw system pairs each club with two opponents from each of the four pots, ensuring a balanced slate of difficulty across all 36 participants. Match schedule and key dates
The first matchday is scheduled for September 8-10, 2026. The league phase unfolds across several matchdays, with the final round of fixtures set for January 27, 2027. The ultimate destination for the competition is the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, home of Atletico Madrid, which hosts the final. That gives Atletico the unusual distinction of being a Pot 1 participant playing their domestic fixtures in the same venue where the biggest match in club football will take place.
How to watch the draw
UEFA is streaming the draw for free on UEFA.com. In the UK, TNT Sports carries the broadcast, while US viewers can tune in via Paramount+. Full match schedules, including specific dates and kickoff times for each fixture, are expected to be released by August 29. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
