Champions League 2026/27 Draw: Teams, Fixtures, Final Venue, All You Need To Know

Europe’s biggest clubs will discover their opponents for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase on Thursday, August 27, when the draw takes place in Monaco.

A total of 36 clubs will be involved in the league phase under the competition’s new format, with each team set to play eight matches against different opponents.

Naija News reports that unlike the old group-stage system, the Champions League now operates with one league table involving all 36 teams.

Each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.

Teams will be drawn against two clubs from each of the four pots.

A computerized system will then determine the fixtures while ensuring that UEFA’s draw regulations are followed.

Twenty-nine clubs qualified automatically based on their performances last season, while the remaining places are being decided through the qualifying rounds.

Champions League Pot 1

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) headline Pot 1 alongside some of the biggest names in European football.

The nine teams currently listed in the pot are:

1. Paris Saint-Germain
2. Bayern Munich
3. Real Madrid
4. Liverpool
5. Inter Milan
6. Manchester City
7. Arsenal
8. Barcelona
9. Atletico Madrid

Champions League Pot 2

Pot 2 also contains several clubs with considerable European pedigree, including Manchester United and Europa League champions Aston Villa.

The teams are:

1. Aston Villa
2. Manchester United
3. Borussia Dortmund
4. Roma
5. Sporting
6. Porto
7. Club Brugge
8. PSV Eindhoven
9. Real Betis

Teams In Pot 3

Among the confirmed teams in Pot 3 are:

1. Feyenoord
2. Lille
3. Napoli
4. RB Leipzig
5. Villarreal
6. Shakhtar Donetsk
7. Galatasaray

Some clubs will only discover whether they are placed in Pot 3 or Pot 4 after the remaining qualifying ties are completed.

Those teams include Bodo/Glimt, LASK Linz, Sabah, Slavia Prague, Stuttgart, Como and Lens.

The winners of Fenerbahce vs Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking, Slovan Bratislava vs Celje and Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens will also determine some of the remaining positions, Naija News understands.

At the end of the league phase, the top eight clubs in the table will book automatic places in the Champions League round of 16.

Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will have another chance to progress through a two-legged knockout play-off.

However, clubs that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from European competition.

The teams ranked ninth to 16th will be seeded in the play-offs and will face teams that finish between 17th and 24th.

The seeded teams will play the second legs at home.

The eight winners from those play-offs will then join the top eight teams in the round of 16.

Dates For League-Phase Matches

The eight matchdays have been scheduled as follows:

Matchday 1: September 8-10
Matchday 2: October 13-14
Matchday 3: October 20-21
Matchday 4: November 3-4
Matchday 5: November 24-25
Matchday 6: December 8-9
Matchday 7: January 19-20
Matchday 8: January 27

Champions League Knockout-Stage Dates

The knockout phase will begin in February, with the competition culminating in the final in June 2027.

The scheduled dates are:

• Knockout play-offs: February 16-17 and 23-24
• Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
• Quarter-finals: April 6-7 and 13-14
• Semi-finals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
• Final: June 5

The 2026/27 Champions League final will be played at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on June 5, 2027.

Naija News reports that the home ground of Atletico Madrid has a capacity of approximately 70,000 spectators.

The stadium will host the Champions League final for the second time, having previously staged the 2019 final, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur to lift the trophy.