Paths to glory: 2025/26 Champions League draw complete

2025/26 Champions League draw - Blockbusters to watch

Liverpool and Manchester City will both face Real Madrid in the 2025/26 Champions League, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain have drawn a formidable set of opponents, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich, in Thursday's league-phase draw.

Other intriguing fixtures include Barcelona visiting Chelsea and Newcastle, while Arsenal host Bayern and Atletico Madrid and travel to Inter Milan and Athletic Bilbao.

UEFA is expected to confirm the full schedule on Friday, with the league phase kicking off across three days from 16 to 18 September and concluding on 28 January.

2025/26 Champions League draw - The draw is closed!

That's it, folks! The draw is officially closed! All 36 teams know their League Phase opponents—paths to glory are set. It's going to be a thrilling season with debutants, giants and some huge clashes already lined up.

Here's the final look at the four pots for the 2025/26 Champions League:

2025/26 Champions League draw - All of Pot 4 is now confirmed!

- Athletic Club are drawn against PSG, Dortmund, Arsenal, Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon, Qarabag, Newcastle and Slavia Prague.

- Qarabag will face Napoli, Athletic Club, Chelsea, Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Ajax and Copenhagen.

-  Monaco are paired with Manchester City, Real Madrid, Juventus, Club Brugge, Tottenham, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray and Pafos.

- Galatasaray SK are drawn against Liverpool, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodo/Glimt, Ajax, Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco.

- Newcastle will meet Barcelona, PSG, Benfica, Leverkusen, PSV, Marseille, Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise.

- Union Saint-Gilloise are drawn against Inter, Bayern, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Marseille, PSV, Newcastle and Galatasaray.

- Pafos are paired with Bayern, Chelsea, Villarreal, Juventus, Slavia Prague, Olympiakos, Monaco and Kairat Almaty.

- Copenhagen will face Dortmund, Barcelona, Leverkusen, Villarreal, Napoli, Tottenham, Kairat Almaty and Qarabag.

- Kairat Almaty are drawn against Real Madrid, Inter, Club Brugge, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Sporting Lisbon, Pafos and Copenhagen.

2025/26 Champions League draw - Pot 3 has been drawn!

- Olympique Marseille are drawn against Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Atalanta, Ajax, Newcastle, Sporting Lisbon and Union Saint-Gilloise.

- Tottenham Hotspur will face Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Villarreal, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Copenhagen and Monaco.

- FK Bodo/Glimt are paired with Manchester City, Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Slavia Prague, Monaco and Galatasaray.

- Sporting Lisbon are drawn against Marseille, Juventus, Club Brugge, Bayern, PSG, Napoli, Kairat Almaty and Athletic Club.

- Olympiakos will meet Real Madrid, Barcelona, Leverkusen, Arsenal, PSV, Ajax, Pafos and Kairat Almaty.

- Ajax are paired with Inter, Chelsea, Benfica, Villarreal, Olympiakos, Marseille, Galatasaray and Qarabag.

- Slavia Prague are drawn against Barcelona, Inter, Arsenal, Atalanta, Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham, Athletic Club and Pafos.

- PSV will face Olympiakos, Leverkusen, Union Saint-Gilloise, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Bayern and Newcastle.

- Napoli are drawn against Chelsea, Manchester City, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, PSV, Qarabag and Copenhagen.

2025/26 Champions League draw - That's Pot 2 done and dusted!

- Bayer Leverkusen are drawn against PSG, Manchester City, Villarreal, Benfica, PSV, Olympiakos, Newcastle and Copenhagen.

- Arsenal are paired with Bayern, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty and Athletic Club.

- Atalanta will face PSG, Chelsea, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise.

- Benfica are drawn against Real Madrid, Chelsea, Leverkusen, Juventus, Ajax, Napoli, Qarabag and Newcastle.

- Club Brugge are set to meet Barcelona, Bayern, Arsenal, Atalanta, Marseille, Monaco, Sporting Lisbon and Kairat Almaty.

- Eintracht Frankfurt are drawn against Atalanta, Liverpool, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Napoli, Galatasaray and Qarabag.

- Juventus will face Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Benfica, Villarreal, Sporting Lisbon, Bodo/Glimt, Pafos and Monaco.

- Atletico Madrid are paired with Inter, Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, Arsenal, Bodo/Glimt, PSV, Union Saint-Gilloise and Galatasaray.

- Villarreal are drawn against Leverkusen, Juventus, Dortmund, Manchester City, Ajax, Tottenham, Copenhagen and Pafos.

2025/26 Champions League draw - Pot 1 is complete!

- Bayern are drawn against Chelsea, PSG, Club Brugge, Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon, PSV, Union Saint-Gilloise and Pafos.

- Chelsea are paired with Bayern, Barcelona, Benfica, Atalanta, Ajax, Napoli, Pafos and Qarabag.

- Real Madrid will face Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, Benfica, Marseille, Olympiakos, Monaco and Kairat Almaty.

- Inter Milan are drawn against Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Ajax, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty and Union Saint-Gilloise.

- Borussia Dortmund will meet Inter, Manchester City, Villarreal, Juventus, Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham, Athletic Club and Copenhagen.

- Liverpool are set to face Real Madrid, Inter, Atletico Madrid, PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, Qarabag and Galatasaray.

- Barcelona are paired with Chelsea, PSG, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Newcastle and Copenhagen.

- Paris Saint-Germain are drawn against Barcelona, Bayern, Atalanta, Leverkusen, Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon, Newcastle and Athletic Club.

- Manchester City will face Real Madrid, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Villarreal, Napoli, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray and Monaco.

2025/26 Champions League draw - We're about to get started!

Everyone, take your seats for the Champions League draw. Very soon, we'll discover the path that awaits each club.

2025/26 Champions League draw - We're underway in Monaco!

And we're live from Monaco as the draw begins! The draw kicks off with a video celebrating historic Champions League winners, accompanied by the iconic anthem. Aleksander Ceferin is among the first to speak about the season ahead. The draw will begin shortly.

2025/26 Champions League draw - Which countries are most represented?

England leads the way with six qualified teams, followed by Spain with five, while Italy and Germany each have four. One step behind is France with three representatives, and Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands each have two.

2025/26 Champions League draw - Key facts, changes and dates to remember

Top seeds in the league phase (positions 1 to 4) will host the second leg of the quarter-finals. Teams finishing first and second also secure the second leg of the semi-finals at home.

However, this advantage can be "stolen": if a lower-ranked team eliminates a higher-ranked opponent, it inherits the higher seed's privilege for the following rounds.

The full match schedule will be announced ahead of Saturday, 30 August.

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

Playoff

17-18 and 24-25 February 2026

Last 16

10-11 and 17-18 March 2026

Quarter-finals

7-8 and 14-15 April 2026

Semi-finals

28-29 April and 5-6 May 2026

Final

30 May 2026

2025/26 Champions League draw - Newcomers meet the giants

The 2025/26 Champions League will feature four debutant teams: Union Saint-Gilloise, Kairat Almaty, FK Bodo Glimt and Pafos. Each will be eager to make their mark in their first season among Europe's elite.

Union Saint-Gilloise becomes Belgium's eighth representative in the Champions League, while Bodo Glimt and Pafos are the third clubs from Norway and Cyprus, respectively. Kairat will be Kazakhstan's second representative, following Astana.

These newcomers join a field of historic giants, including Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool and Inter, blending experience with fresh ambition—a mix that could produce upsets and surprises.

2025/26 Champions League draw - Europe, Asia and beyond: The travel challenge

This edition will be one of the most geographically expansive in history. Kairat Almaty, located just 200 kilometres from the Chinese border, pushes the competition further east than ever before.

FK Bodo Glimt, hailing from northern Norway, brings logistical challenges with long journeys and extreme temperatures, while Cypriot side Pafos will also involve significant travel for clubs from northern and western Europe.

On the western edge, Portuguese representatives Sporting and Benfica, both from Lisbon, round out a tournament that already stretches across nearly half the globe, from the far north to the easternmost borders of Europe.

2025/26 Champions League - Draw mechanics explained

The 36 teams taking part in the league phase are divided into four pots of nine teams each. A club's pot is determined by its UEFA coefficient, which reflects performance in European competitions over the past five seasons.

Each team will face two opponents from every pot, playing one match at home and one away. For instance, a club will host one team from Pot 1 and travel to play the other, repeating the process with Pots 2, 3, and 4.

This results in eight matches per club—four at home and four on the road—against eight different opponents.

Certain restrictions are in place to maintain balance and avoid logistical clashes. Clubs from the same country cannot face each other during the league phase.

For example, Barcelona or Real Madrid can only be drawn against seven of the nine teams in Pot 2, as Atletico and Villarreal are excluded.

Additionally, no club can face more than two teams from the same association, preventing scenarios such as drawing three English sides in the same league phase.

So, who will fate place together in this season's Champions League pots?

Real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
PSG
Inter
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona

Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Benfica
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Club Brugge

Tottenham Hotspur
PSV
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting Lisbon
Olympiakos
Slavia Prague
FK Bodo Glimt
Olympique Marseille

Copenhagen
Pafos
Monaco
Qarabag
Galatasaray SK
Kairat Almaty
Union Saint-Gilloise
Athletic Club
Newcastle

Who's ready for the 2025/26 season draw?

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase draw! This year's draw takes place in Monaco on 28 August at 18:00 CEST and will follow the same format as last year.

The 36 teams in the competition will be split into four pots based on their individual coefficient rankings, with the reigning Champions League winners taking the top spot in Pot 1.