Football fans are waiting to discover the fixtures for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, with the league phase draw set to determine who Europe’s biggest clubs will face during the opening stage of the competition.
The draw comes immediately after the conclusion of the Champions League qualifying play-offs, which have determined the final teams entering the league phase. UEFA confirmed that the draw will take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
But when exactly is the draw? Which teams will be involved? How does the new Champions League draw work? And when will the matches actually be played?
Here is everything you need to know.
When Is the Champions League Draw?
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase draw takes place on:
Thursday, August 27, 2026
The ceremony begins at:
18:00 CET
It will be held in Monaco.
For viewers in the UK, that is 5:00pm BST.
For viewers in Nigeria, the draw starts at 5:00pm WAT.
UEFA has confirmed that the draw will feature all 36 teams competing in the league phase.
Champions League Draw Time
Here is the draw time in several locations:
| Location | Time |
|---|---|
| Monaco / Central Europe | 6:00pm CET |
| United Kingdom | 5:00pm BST |
| Nigeria | 5:00pm WAT |
| South Africa | 6:00pm SAST |
| Eastern Time, USA | 12:00pm ET |
| Pacific Time, USA | 9:00am PT |
The ceremony will take place in Monaco.
Where Can You Watch the Champions League Draw?
Fans can watch the Champions League league phase draw live and free on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv.
UEFA has confirmed that the draw will be broadcast through its official platforms.
Watch the Champions League Draw on UEFA.com
Broadcasters in individual countries may also show the ceremony through their television and streaming services.
How Many Teams Are in the Champions League Draw?
There will be 36 teams in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase draw.
UEFA says 29 teams qualified directly, while the remaining seven places were decided through the qualifying rounds.
The final qualifying matches were played on August 25 and 26, meaning the complete lineup was finalized immediately before the draw.
How Does the Champions League Draw Work?
The Champions League no longer uses the traditional group-stage format.
Since the 2024/25 season, the competition has used a 36-team league phase.
The 36 clubs are divided into four pots of nine teams, based on UEFA club coefficient rankings, with the Champions League titleholder occupying the top position in Pot 1. (UEFA Documents)
Each club will be drawn against eight different opponents.
That means every team will play:
- Four matches at home
- Four matches away
- Two opponents from each of the four pots
In principle, clubs cannot face another team from the same national association during the league phase, while a club can face a maximum of two opponents from another association.
Is the Champions League Draw Still a Group Draw?
No.
This is one of the most important things to understand.
There are no traditional groups such as Group A, Group B or Group C.
Instead, all 36 teams compete in one overall league table.
Every team plays eight league-phase matches against eight different opponents.
At the end of those matches, the teams are ranked from first to 36th.
What Happens After the Champions League Draw?
The league-phase standings determine which teams advance to the knockout rounds.
The top eight teams qualify directly for the round of 16.
Teams finishing from 9th to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs.
Teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
This makes every league-phase match important.
A team can no longer simply focus on finishing in the top two of its group.
Instead, clubs are competing across one 36-team table.
When Does the Champions League League Phase Start?
The first Champions League league-phase matches of the 2026/27 season will be played between:
September 8 and September 10, 2026.
UEFA’s schedule lists the remaining league-phase matchdays as follows:
Champions League 2026/27 League Phase Dates
Matchday 1: September 8–10, 2026
Matchday 2: October 13–14, 2026
Matchday 3: October 20–21, 2026
Matchday 4: November 3–4, 2026
Matchday 5: November 24–25, 2026
Matchday 6: December 8–9, 2026
Matchday 7: January 19–20, 2027
Matchday 8: January 27, 2027
When Will the Champions League Fixtures Be Announced?
Although the draw determines each club’s opponents, fans will have to wait a little longer for the complete fixture schedule.
UEFA says the Champions League fixture list, including match dates and kick-off times, will be communicated no later than Saturday, August 29.
That means supporters will know their club’s eight opponents first, followed by the exact dates and times of each match.
Which Teams Are in the Champions League Draw?
The final lineup consists of the 29 clubs that qualified automatically plus the seven winners of the play-off ties.
The qualifying campaign concluded on August 26, with clubs such as Fenerbahçe, AEK Athens and Viking among those securing places in the league phase.
Fenerbahçe’s qualification is particularly notable because the Turkish club ended an 18-year wait to return to the Champions League league phase.
Why Is the Champions League Draw So Important?
The draw can have a major impact on a club’s European campaign.
A team could receive several extremely difficult opponents from the different pots, while another club could receive a comparatively favorable schedule.
Because every club plays eight different opponents, the draw creates a completely different challenge from the old group-stage system.
The quality of those eight opponents could ultimately determine whether a club finishes in the top eight, enters the knockout play-offs or is eliminated.
Can Two Premier League Teams Face Each Other?
Under UEFA’s current league-phase rules, clubs from the same national association cannot normally be drawn against each other.
The regulations also state that each team can face a maximum of two clubs from any other single association, subject to UEFA’s draw conditions.
Therefore, English clubs will not normally be paired against other English clubs during the league phase.
What Happens to Teams Finishing in the Top Eight?
The top eight teams in the league table automatically qualify for the round of 16.
They avoid the knockout phase play-offs and receive a direct route into the last 16.
That makes finishing inside the top eight a major objective.
What Happens to Teams Finishing 9th to 24th?
Clubs finishing between 9th and 24th will have to play in the knockout phase play-offs.
The winners of those ties advance to the round of 16.
This gives teams that miss out on the top eight another opportunity to remain in the competition.
What Happens to Teams Finishing 25th or Lower?
There is no safety net for teams finishing at the bottom of the league.
Any club finishing 25th or lower is eliminated from European competition.
They do not drop into the Europa League.
That makes the expanded league phase particularly demanding.
When Are the Champions League Knockout Draws?
The knockout-phase draw dates have not yet been confirmed by UEFA.
The 2026/27 season calendar currently lists the knockout phase play-offs for February 16/17 and February 23/24, 2027, followed by the round of 16 in March.
UEFA will announce the relevant draw dates separately.
Champions League 2026/27 Key Dates
Here are the most important dates to remember:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| League phase draw | August 27, 2026 |
| Fixture list announced by | August 29, 2026 |
| Matchday 1 | September 8–10, 2026 |
| Matchday 8 | January 27, 2027 |
| Knockout play-offs | February 16/17 & 23/24, 2027 |
| Round of 16 | March 9/10 & 16/17, 2027 |
| Final | June 5, 2027 |
When Is the Champions League Draw? Final Answer
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase draw is on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 6:00pm CET (5:00pm in the UK and Nigeria).
The draw takes place in Monaco and features 36 teams.
Rather than being divided into traditional groups, the clubs will be placed into one league table. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
The first league-phase matches will then take place from September 8–10.
For football fans, the wait is almost over.
The Champions League draw will reveal who Europe’s biggest clubs must face on the road to the 2027 final in Madrid.
