Champions League 2026/27 draw explained: date, format, pots and how it works

UEFA will stage the 2026/27 Champions League league-phase draw on Thursday, August 27 at 5pm UK time, with the competition itself getting under way on Tuesday, September 8. Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano will host the final at the end of the campaign.

How the league phase works

36 clubs compete in a single, unified league table — the format introduced last season. Each side plays eight matches against eight different opponents. When the league phase concludes, the top eight sides advance directly to the round of 16, teams ranked 9th to 24th enter a knockout play-off round, and the bottom 12 are eliminated.

How the draw is conducted

The 36 clubs are divided into four pots of nine teams, seeded by UEFA coefficient — a ranking based primarily on European results over recent seasons. Each club is drawn against two opponents from every pot, giving them a balanced spread of difficulty across their eight fixtures.

The one firm restriction is that clubs from the same domestic league cannot face each other during the league phase.

Starting with Pot 1 and working downward, balls are drawn to determine the order in which clubs receive their fixtures. UEFA’s computer then assigns all eight opponents to each club simultaneously before moving on to the next side. Specific match dates are confirmed in the days after the draw.

Several places in the pots are still marked TBD, to be filled by winners of the qualifying play-offs. Slavia Prague’s pot position will also depend on which other sides come through.

Qualifying play-offs still to be decided

The following two-legged ties will determine the final clubs to enter the league phase:

• Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens
• Celtic vs LASK
• Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking
• Slovan Bratislava vs Celje
• Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Sabah
• Fenerbahce vs Lyon
• NEC vs Bodo/Glimt

Once those ties are settled, the full picture of the 36-team field will be complete ahead of the August 27 draw.