Champions League Draw 2026/27: Everything you need to know
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League draw is almost here, with clubs set to discover their opponents for the league phase of Europe’s premier club competition.
The Champions League draw will take place alongside the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League and Conference League draws at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on August 27 and 28.
Here is everything you need to know about the Champions League draw, including the date, time, teams involved, format, where to watch and what happens after the draw.
When is the 2026/27 Champions League draw?
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw will take place on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 18:00 CET at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
The Europa League and Conference League league phase draws will follow on Friday, August 28, with both ceremonies taking place in Monaco.
Which teams are in the Champions League draw?
The Champions League league phase will feature 36 teams.
The draw will include 29 clubs that qualified automatically for the league phase, alongside seven teams that progressed through the Champions League play-offs.
Each of the 36 clubs will discover their eight league phase opponents during the draw.
How many teams will each club face?
Under the current Champions League format, every team plays eight different opponents during the league phase.
Each club will play:
Four matches at home
Four matches away
Eight different opponents
The teams are drawn from four pots, with each club facing two opponents from each pot.
READ MORE: Kwasi Sibo officially unveiled by Al-Swehly in Libya
The league phase replaces the traditional group-stage format that was used in the Champions League for many years.
How does the Champions League league phase work?
The Champions League has featured a single 36-team league phase since the 2024/25 season.
Instead of being divided into eight groups of four teams, all 36 clubs are placed into one league table.
Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
After all league phase matches are completed, the teams are ranked from first to 36th.
What happens to teams after the league phase?
The final league standings determine which clubs advance to the knockout stages.
1st to 8th: Advance directly to the round of 16
9th to 24th: Enter the knockout phase play-offs
25th to 36th: Eliminated from European competition
The winners of the knockout phase play-offs join the top eight teams in the round of 16.
From the round of 16 onwards, the competition continues as a traditional knockout tournament.
When will Champions League fixtures be announced?
UEFA will publish the complete Champions League fixture schedule, including match dates and kick-off times, no later than Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The announcement will follow shortly after the league phase draw.
Where can you watch the Champions League draw?
Fans around the world will be able to watch the 2026/27 Champions League draw live and for free on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv.
The draw will also generate significant interest among supporters as clubs discover their league phase opponents for the new European season.
READ MORE: 10 footballers who have won Ballon d’Or multiple times
When are the Europa League and Conference League draws?
The Champions League is not the only UEFA club competition holding its league phase draw.
The Europa League league phase draw will take place on Friday, August 28, 2026, from 13:00 CET.
The Conference League league phase draw will also take place on Friday, August 28.
Both competitions will feature 36 teams in their respective league phases.
How does the Europa League and Conference League format work?
The Europa League follows the same basic league phase structure as the Champions League.
Each of the 36 teams will play eight different opponents, with four matches at home and four away.
The Conference League also features a 36-team league phase, but each club plays six matches — three at home and three away.
In all three UEFA competitions, the teams finishing in the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16.
Clubs finishing between ninth and 24th must go through the knockout phase play-offs, while teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated.
There is no longer a system allowing teams eliminated from one competition to drop into another UEFA club competition.
What happens after the Champions League draw?
Once the draw is complete, attention will turn to the fixture schedule.
UEFA will announce the exact Champions League match dates and kick-off times shortly after the draw, giving clubs and supporters a clearer picture of the road to the knockout stages.
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase will then begin, with Europe’s top clubs competing for a place in the round of 16 and ultimately the final.
2026/27 Champions League draw at a glance
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 18:00 CET
Venue: Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Teams: 36
Opponents per team: 8
Home matches: 4
Away matches: 4
Direct round-of-16 qualification: Top eight
Knockout play-offs: Teams finishing 9th–24th
Eliminated: Teams finishing 25th–36th
Where to watch: UEFA.com and UEFA.tv
Edem Kwame
Chief Editor
Edem Kwame is a staff journalist at GH News Media, where he covers sports, politics, news and current affairs with a sharp focus on Ghanaian and African football.
