2026-27 UEFA Champions League League Phase Draw Sets the Stage for Europe’s Elite

by Dimitri Dimitrov Published on August 28, 2026
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The official silver UEFA Champions League trophy standing on a display platform against a blue branded background.
Key Takeaways
⏱ 5 min read
1
League Phase Draw — UEFA completed the draw for the 36-team League Phase of the 2026-27 Champions League in Monaco, with matches running from September 8 to January 27
2
Format & Progression — Each team plays eight matches against different opponents, with the top eight automatically advancing to the Round of 16, positions 9 through 24 entering a two-legged playoff, and teams placing 25 to 36 eliminated
3
Newcomers & Defending Champions — Paris Saint-Germain enters as the back-to-back champion, while Como, LASK, Sabah, and Viking make their debut in the competition
4
The Final — The tournament will culminate at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
✓ Fact-checked Sources verified before publication
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Thirty-Six Clubs Learn Their Eight Opponents as the Road to the Madrid Final Officially Begins

UEFA held the draw for the League Phase portion of the 2026-27 Champions League on Thursday in Monaco. The competition will kick off Sept. 8 with Matchday 1 with 36 teams vying to be among 24 to advance to the knockout stages.

There were a number of intriguing matchups to come out of the draw, which will see each team play a total of eight matches during the League Phase, four home and four away against eight different opponents.

Real Madrid will travel to London to face the reigning Premier League champions Arsenal. They will also host Inter Milan.

Manchester City and back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will meet at the Etihad. Enzo Maresca’s side will also travel to Camp Nou to play Barcelona.

Other matchups will see Inter Milan hosting Liverpool; Barcelona visiting PSG; Atlético Madrid welcoming Bayern Munich and Manchester United, while also traveling to face Liverpool; Bayern Munich playing Manchester United at Old Trafford; and Arsenal taking on Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena.

Champions League Matchups by Pot

Pot 1 Teams

  • PSG: Barcelona, Manchester City, Roma, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Villarreal, Slovan Bratislava, Como
  • Bayern Munich: Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis, Manchester United, Bodø/Glimt, Lille, Slavia Prague, Viking
  • Real Madrid: Inter Milan, Arsenal, PSV, Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, AEK Athens
  • Liverpool: Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Porto, Club Brugge, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Lens, LASK
  • Inter Milan: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, Stuttgart, Slovan Bratislava
  • Manchester City: PSG, Barcelona, Sporting, Porto, Napoli, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens, Lens
  • Arsenal: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Sabah, Slavia Prague
  • Barcelona: Manchester City, PSG, Aston Villa, Sporting, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Como, Sabah
  • Atlético Madrid: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, PSV, Fenerbahçe, Bodø/Glimt, Viking, Stuttgart

Pot 2 Teams

  • Borussia Dortmund: Inter Milan, Arsenal, Real Betis, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, AEK Athens, Sabah
  • Roma: Real Madrid, PSG, Sporting, Manchester United, Lille, Fenerbahçe, Slovan Bratislava, AEK Athens
  • Sporting: Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Roma, Galatasaray, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, Lens
  • Aston Villa: PSG, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Viking, Slavia Prague
  • Porto: Manchester City, Liverpool, PSV, Real Betis, Napoli, Feyenoord, Slavia Prague, LASK
  • Manchester United: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Sporting, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, Como
  • Club Brugge: Liverpool, Inter Milan, Aston Villa, PSV, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, Lens, Stuttgart
  • Real Betis: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Lille, Como, Slovan Bratislava
  • PSV: Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Viking

Pot 3 Teams

  • Feyenoord: Inter Milan, Barcelona, Porto, Real Betis, RB Leipzig, Galatasaray, Como, Viking
  • Lille: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Betis, Roma, Galatasaray, Bodø/Glimt, Slovan Bratislava, Stuttgart
  • Bodø/Glimt: Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Lille, Napoli, LASK, Lens
  • Napoli: Arsenal, Manchester City, Club Brugge, Porto, Bodø/Glimt, Villarreal, Viking, Sabah
  • RB Leipzig: Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSV, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Feyenoord, Lens, Como
  • Villarreal: PSG, Liverpool, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Fenerbahçe, Sabah, Slavia Prague
  • Fenerbahçe: Liverpool, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Aston Villa, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Slavia Prague, LASK
  • Shakhtar Donetsk: Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Sporting, PSV, Fenerbahçe, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava
  • Galatasaray: Barcelona, PSG, Aston Villa, Sporting, Feyenoord, Lille, Stuttgart, AEK Athens

Pot 4 Teams

  • Slavia Prague: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Aston Villa, Porto, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Lens, Sabah
  • Slovan Bratislava: Inter Milan, PSG, Real Betis, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lille, LASK, Stuttgart
  • Stuttgart: Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Club Brugge, PSV, Lille, Galatasaray, Viking, Slovan Bratislava
  • AEK Athens: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Roma, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, Como
  • LASK: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Porto, Sporting, Fenerbahçe, Bodø/Glimt, Slovan Bratislava, AEK Athens
  • Como: PSG, Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Betis, RB Leipzig, Feyenoord, Lens, AEK Athens
  • Lens: Manchester City, Liverpool, Sporting, Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, RB Leipzig, Como, Slavia Prague
  • Viking: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, PSV, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Napoli, Sabah, Stuttgart
  • Sabah: Barcelona, Arsenal, Dortmund, Manchester United, Napoli, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, Viking

The full League Phase schedule will be announced by UEFA on Saturday.

Tournament Format and Progression

Following the completion of the League Phase fixtures, teams placed 25 to 36 in the table will be eliminated. Teams in positions 9 through 24 will take part in a two-legged knockout phase playoff beginning in February. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the Round of 16 in March.

From the Round of 16 through the semifinals, each knockout stage will be decided over two legs.

Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid will play host to the final on June 5, 2027.

Competition Background and New Entrants

PSG is the reigning back-to-back champion after defeating Arsenal following penalty kicks in June’s final. Only Real Madrid from 2016-18 has claimed three titles in a row in the Champions League era.

There are four newcomers to the competition this season: Como (Italy), LASK (Austria), Sabah (Azerbaijan) and Viking (Norway) will all debut during the League Phase.

Here are the 36 teams that will be playing in Europe’s highest competition this season:

  • Austria: LASK
  • Azerbaijan: Sabah FK
  • Belgium: Club Brugge
  • Czechia: Slavia Prague
  • England: Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool
  • France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille
  • Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart
  • Greece: AEK Athens
  • Italy: Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como
  • Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
  • Norway: Bodø/Glimt, Viking FK
  • Portugal: Porto, Sporting CP
  • Slovakia: ŠK Slovan Bratislava
  • Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis
  • Türkiye: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe
  • Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

2026-27 Champions League Schedule

  • Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10
  • Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14
  • Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21
  • Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4
  • Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25
  • Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9
  • Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20
  • Matchday 8: Jan. 27
  • Knockout phase playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and 23-24
  • Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
  • Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and 13-14
  • Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
  • Final: June 5 (Madrid, Spain)
Dimitri Dimitrov
Dimitri Dimitrov

Dimitri is an iGaming expert with nearly a decade of experience and a knack for crafting content that speaks directly to the iGaming crowd. He understands affiliate marketing, player psychology, and search algorithms, which enables him to write engaging, data-driven articles.

Sources
1 source verified before publication. This news is an official press release that traces directly to official documents by the UEFA. How we verify sources →
1
UEFA
· Official Body Primary
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/draws/ ↗
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