Champions League: League phase draw pots confirmed

The 36 UEFA Champions League hopefuls have been split into four pots for the league phase draw, which will be streamed live on UEFA.com and the Champions League app from 18:00 CET on Thursday 28 August.

2025/26 Champions League: League phase draw pots

Pot 1
Paris (FRA)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Man City (ENG)
Bayern München (GER)
Liverpool (ENG)
Inter (ITA)
Chelsea (ENG)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Barcelona (ESP)

Pot 2
Arsenal (ENG)
Leverkusen (GER)
Atleti (ESP)
Benfica (POR)
Atalanta (ITA)
Villarreal (ESP)
Juventus (ITA)
Frankfurt (GER)
Club Brugge (BEL)

Pot 3
Tottenham (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Ajax (NED)
Napoli (ITA)
Sporting CP (POR)
Olympiacos (GRE)
Slavia Praha (CZE)
Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
Marseille (FRA)

Pot 4
Copenhagen (DEN)
Monaco (FRA)
Galatasaray (TUR)
Union SG (BEL)
Qarabağ (AZE)
Athletic Club (ESP)
Newcastle (ENG)
Pafos (CYP)
Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

How will the league phase draw be carried out?

The 36 participating teams have been split into four pots based on their individual coefficient ranking with the Champions League titleholder the top seed in Pot 1.

Starting with Pot 1, one physical ball will be drawn before the automated software – already in use last year – draws eight opponents for them, taking into account the following principles:

• Two teams from each of the four pots, with one home and one away match against teams from each pot drawn by the software.
• No teams from the same association drawn against each other.
• No more than two opponents from the same association.

The same procedure will be repeated for all other teams until all pairings have been drawn.

The Champions League fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be communicated no later than Saturday 30 August.

When are this season's Champions League matches?

League phase
Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025
Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025
Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025
Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025
Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025
Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026
Matchday 8: 28 January 2026

Knockout phase
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)