UEFA Champions League 2026: All Draws and Key Information

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season, marking Europe’s premier club competition’s 71st edition and its second year under the revamped league phase format, is building toward its climax with the final set for May 30, 2026, at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. Qualifying draws began in June 2025, culminating in the league phase draw scheduled for today, August 28, 2025. With 36 teams set to compete in a single league table—each playing eight matches against diverse opponents—this season introduces more unpredictability and high-stakes encounters. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, fresh off their 5-0 final win over Inter Milan in 2024/25, aim to retain the trophy amid a field featuring a record six English clubs. Below is a comprehensive overview of all draws, the format, qualified teams, and the full schedule.

Qualifying Draws: Dates, Procedures, and Results

The qualifying phase, split into Champions Path (for league winners) and League Path (for non-champions), involved 82 teams initially, with seven spots in the league phase at stake. Ties were two-legged, with seeding based on 2025 UEFA club coefficients. Seeded teams were drawn against unseeded ones, and UEFA formed regional groups for fairness, avoiding political conflicts (e.g., no Armenia vs. Azerbaijan). If aggregates tied, extra time and penalties decided advancement. Losers transferred to Europa League or Conference League paths.

First Qualifying Round Draw

• Date and Location: June 17, 2025, House of European Football, Nyon, Switzerland.
• Procedure: 28 teams (all champions from lower-ranked associations) divided into seeded/unseeded pots, grouped regionally (North/Central/South). Balls shuffled in bowls; first drawn team hosted the first leg.
• Matches Played: First legs July 8-9; second legs July 15-16, 2025.
• Key Results and Advancers: 14 winners advanced to second round Champions Path. Notable: KuPS (Finland) 1-0 aggregate over The New Saints (Wales); Shelbourne (Ireland) 3-0 aggregate over St Joseph’s (Gibraltar). Losers like Borac Banja Luka transferred to Conference League.

Second Qualifying Round Draw

• Date and Location: June 18, 2025, Nyon.
• Procedure: 24 teams (10 new champions + 14 first-round winners) in Champions Path; 6 in League Path. Similar seeding and regional grouping; higher-coefficient teams from undecided ties assumed seeded.
• Matches Played: First legs July 22-23; second legs July 29-30, 2025.
• Key Results and Advancers: 12 Champions Path winners to third round (e.g., Malmö FF 5-1 aggregate over RFS Riga; Ferencváros 3-0 aggregate over Noah). League Path: 3 winners (e.g., Midtjylland advanced). Losers like FCSB to Europa League third round.

Third Qualifying Round Draw

• Date and Location: July 21, 2025, Nyon.
• Procedure: 12 Champions Path teams (all second-round winners); 8 in League Path (5 new entrants + 3 second-round winners). Divided into seeded/unseeded; groups for draw convenience. Higher-coefficient assumption for undecided ties.
• Matches Played: First legs August 5-6; second legs August 12, 2025.
• Key Results and Advancers: 6 Champions Path winners to play-offs (e.g., Copenhagen 5-0 aggregate over Drita; Red Star Belgrade 4-2 aggregate over Lech Poznań). League Path: 4 winners (e.g., Club Brugge advanced). Losers to Europa League play-offs or league phase.

Play-Off Round Draw

• Date and Location: August 4, 2025, Nyon.
• Procedure: 10 Champions Path (4 new champions + 6 third-round winners); 4 League Path (all third-round winners). Seeded/unseeded split; pairs from undecided ties used higher coefficient for seeding. No regional groups emphasized, but conflicts avoided.
• Matches Played: First legs August 19-20; second legs August 26-27, 2025.
• Key Results and Advancers (to League Phase): Five Champions Path winners: Qarabağ (5-4 aggregate over Shelbourne), Pafos (3-2 over KuPS), Bodø/Glimt (6-2 over Malmö), Copenhagen (3-1 over Slovan Bratislava), Benfica (1-0 over Ludogorets). Two League Path winners: Club Brugge (9-1 over Zrinjski), Fenerbahçe (6-4 over Rijeka). Losers to Europa League league phase.

These draws ensured a merit-based path, with lower seeds like Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) making history as the farthest-east debutant.

League Phase Draw: Today’s Event and Format Details

• Date and Location: August 28, 2025, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco (starts 12:00 ET / 17:00 BST).
• Procedure: 36 teams divided into four pots of nine based on 2025 UEFA coefficients (titleholders PSG top-seeded in Pot 1). Teams manually drawn, then software assigns eight opponents: two from each pot (one home, one away). Rules: No same-association matchups; max two from any other association. Physical balls for team selection; digital for fixtures to handle complexity.
• Pots (Confirmed Post-Play-Offs):

• Format Overview: Single league table; each team plays eight unique opponents (four home, four away). Top eight advance directly to round of 16; 9th-24th enter knockout play-offs (seeded 9th-16th vs. 17th-24th); 25th-36th eliminated (no Europa League drop). This setup, introduced in 2024/25, boosts competitiveness with 189 matches total (up from 125).

Fixtures and kickoff times will be released by August 30, 2025.

Qualified Teams and Qualification Breakdown

Thirty-six teams feature, with England (six) and Spain (five) leading due to strong coefficients and European Performance Spots. Debutants include Bodø/Glimt (northernmost ever), Kairat Almaty (farthest east), Pafos, and Union Saint-Gilloise. No Ukrainian teams qualify for the first time since 2005/06; Russia remains suspended.

• Direct Qualifiers (29): Based on domestic leagues (top four/five per top associations), holders (PSG), Europa League winners (Tottenham), and performance spots (e.g., Villarreal for Spain).
• Via Qualifying (7): As above from play-offs.
• Full List:
• England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham.
• Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal.
• Italy: Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Juventus.
• Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund.
• France: PSG, Marseille, Monaco.
• Others: PSV/Ajax (NED), Benfica/Sporting (POR), Club Brugge/Union SG (BEL), Galatasaray (TUR), Slavia Prague (CZE), Olympiacos (GRE), Copenhagen (DEN), Bodø/Glimt (NOR), Pafos (CYP), Kairat (KAZ), Qarabağ (AZE), Fenerbahçe (TUR).

Full Season Schedule

• League Phase Matchdays:
• MD1: September 16-18, 2025
• MD2: September 30-October 1, 2025
• MD3: October 21-22, 2025
• MD4: November 4-5, 2025
• MD5: November 25-26, 2025
• MD6: December 9-10, 2025
• MD7: January 20-21, 2026
• MD8: January 28, 2026 (all simultaneous)
• Knockout Draws and Dates:
• Knockout Play-Off Draw: January 30, 2026 (ties February 17-18/24-25).
• Round of 16/Quarter-Final/Semi-Final Draw: February 27, 2026.
• Round of 16: March 10-11/17-18, 2026.
• Quarter-Finals: April 7-8/14-15, 2026.
• Semi-Finals: April 28-29/May 5-6, 2026.
• Final: May 30, 2026, Puskás Aréna, Budapest (first Hungarian hosting).

Winners earn 2026/27 Champions League entry, 2026 Super Cup vs. Europa League winners, and spots in FIFA’s Intercontinental Cup and 2029 Club World Cup. With today’s draw imminent, the path to Budapest begins—expect fireworks as giants like Real Madrid (15-time winners) clash with newcomers in this expanded, thrilling format.