Champions League draw: How it works, format, qualified teams, how to watch
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League draw will take place Thursday in Monaco where we will find out the complete fixtures for the League Phase of the competition, which begins Sept. 8.
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Paris Saint-Germain is the reigning back-to-back champion after defeating Arsenal following penalty kicks in June's final. Only Real Madrid from 2016-18 has claimed three titles in a row in the Champions League era.
In all, 36 teams will take part in the League Phase of the competition with 29 having already qualified via their finishing place in their respective domestic leagues. The final seven teams are decided through qualifying, which wraps up on Wednesday.
When is the Champions League draw and how can I watch?
The League Phase draw will take place Thursday at 12 p.m. ET from Monaco. It will air on Paramount+, ViX and CBS Sports Golazo in the United States and DAZN and fuboTV in Canada. It will also be streamed on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv.
Which teams have qualified for the 2026-27 Champions League?
Belgium: Club Brugge
Czechia: Slavia Prague
England: Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille
Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart
Italy: Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como
Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
Portugal: Porto, Sporting CP
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis
Türkiye: Galatasaray
Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
How does the draw work?
The draw will see the 36 teams split into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients, which measures their success in European competitions over a five-season span ending after the 2025-26 season. Reigning champions PSG are slotted into Pot 1.
Teams, beginning with Pot 1, will be drawn against a pair of opponents from each of the four pots for a total of eight fixtures. Each team will play four home games and four away games.
A new rule from UEFA states that a team is not allowed to host an opponent they previously played at home during one of the past two League Phases. That means if Liverpool is drawn against Real Madrid, the match will take place at the Bernabéu, not Anfield. Same goes for Inter Milan and Arsenal, where a potential fixture would take place at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Shakhtar Donetsk have come to an agreement to play its home Champions League fixtures at London's Stamford Bridge, home to the Premier League's Chelsea. The Ukrainian club cannot play at home due to the Russian military invasion that began four years ago. Chelsea did not qualify for Europe after a 10th-place league finish last season and thus will not have fixture clashes.
Who is in each pot?
Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, Real Betis
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe or Lyon
Pot 4: Slavia Prague, VfB Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah FK, Dinamo Zagreb or Viking, ŠK Slovan Bratislava or NK Celje, Levski Sofia or AEK Athens
How does the knockout stage work?
Following the completion of the League Phase fixtures, teams placed 25 to 36 in the table will be eliminated. Teams in positions 9 through 24 will take part in a two-legged knockout phase playoff beginning in February. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the Round of 16 in March.
From the Round of 16 through the semifinals, each knockout stage will be decided over two legs.
Where will the final take place?
Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid will play host to the June 5, 2027 Champions League final. The last time the home of La Liga side Atlético Madrid was the site of the competition's final match was 2019 when Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0.
2026-27 Champions League schedule
Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10
Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14
Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21
Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4
Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25
Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9
Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20
Matchday 8: Jan. 27
Knockout phase playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and 23-24
Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and 13-14
Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
Final: June 5 (Madrid, Spain)