The UEFA Champions League 2025–2026 group stage draw is set for Thursday in Monaco

The UEFA Champions League is back for the 2025–2026 season, and 36 teams will compete for the most coveted club football title in Europe.

On Thursday, August 28, 2025, in the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the League Phase draw will be held, and all participating clubs will learn who their opponents are.

The UEFA website will stream the event live starting at 5:00 p.m. UK time.

Format for the Champions League

The competition format has been modified by UEFA for this season:

The League Phase will consist of eight games for each team, four of which will be played at home and four away.

Teams in the top eight will go straight to the Round of 16.

A knockout play-off round will be held for teams ranked 9–24 in order to guarantee a spot in the Round of 16.

Teams ranked 25th through 36th will be eliminated from the competition.
Those who lose in the knockout stages will be relegated to the UEFA Europa League.

Well-Known Names Await the Draw

The top teams in Europe, including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, will find out on Thursday how they may achieve success.

Arsenal finished third in the League Phase last season, earning a direct trip to the Round of 16 with six wins out of eight games.

The 2024–25 Champions League trophy was won by Paris Saint-Germain over Inter Milan in a thrilling five-goal match.

Make Regulations

The League Phase prohibits teams from the same domestic league from playing against one another.

Teams will be seeded based on their UEFA coefficient ranking, and the draw will be held using four pots.

2025–2026 Champions League Draw Pots

Pot 1: Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona are in the first pot.

Pot 2: (More clubs to be added) Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, and Eintracht Frankfurt

Pot 3: Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, Bodo/Glimt, Ajax, Napoli, PSV Eindhoven, and

Pot 4: Athletic Club, Pafos, Newcastle United, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Kairat Almaty

The draw will be keenly anticipated by football fans worldwide as Europe’s top clubs get ready for another exciting Champions League season.