UEFA has announced that the draw for the league phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League will be held on Thursday, August 27, at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, officially ushering in another edition of Europe’s elite club tournament.
The draw is set to commence at 5 p.m. BST (12 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast live on UEFA’s official website and YouTube channel.
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So far, 30 of the 36 available places in the league phase have been secured by clubs based on their performances in their respective domestic leagues during the 2025–26 campaign. The remaining six qualification spots will be determined through the Champions League play-offs scheduled for August.
England will have the highest number of representatives in the competition, with six Premier League clubs earning automatic qualification. Spain follows with five teams, while Germany, Italy, and France will each be represented by four clubs.
Several familiar names are returning to the tournament after missing recent editions, including Manchester United, Aston Villa, Roma, Real Betis, Lille, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Italian outfit Como will make history by featuring in the Champions League for the first time after booking their maiden qualification.
Clubs Confirmed for the League Phase Draw
The teams already guaranteed a place in the draw are:
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Inter Milan, Roma, Como, Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague, Porto, Club Brugge, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
The competition will retain the expanded league-phase format introduced last season. Each of the 36 participating clubs will play eight matches against eight different opponents selected from four seeding pots, with four fixtures at home and four away.
Once the league phase concludes, the top eight teams in the standings will advance directly to the Round of 16. Clubs finishing between ninth and 24th place will compete in two-legged knockout play-offs for the remaining Round of 16 spots, while teams outside the top 24 will exit the competition.
League Phase Schedule
The 2026–27 league phase will begin on September 8–10, 2026, slightly earlier than the previous season.
Following the opening round of fixtures and an international break, the tournament will continue across eight matchdays before the league phase concludes on January 27, 2027.
Champions League Final
The final of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano. The stadium will host the competition’s showpiece for the second time, having previously staged the 2019 final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
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