The 2026–27 Champions League commenced back in July as preliminary rounds determined the final participants for this year’s competition. Now attention turns to the league phase following the conclusion of qualifying.
Paris Saint-Germain enter the competition as the defending champions following their triumph over Arsenal in the 2025–26 showpiece event, but they face stiff competition from the Gunners and the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid for the crown this year.
Here’s how the league phase actually works.
When Is the 2026–27 Champions League League Phase Draw?
The draw for this season’s league phase takes place on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT, 5 p.m. BST) at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, where all 36 clubs will discover their eight unique opponents.
• How to Watch 2026–27 Champions League Draw on TV, Live Stream
How Does the 2026–27 Champions League League Phase Draw Work?
Each of the Champions League’s 36 competitors will play eight times during the league phase, which is comprised of one single league table. Every club will face two opponents from each of the four different pots, with one match coming at home and the other away.
However, there are some ground rules worth noting.
Firstly, two clubs from the same nation cannot face off in the league phase. Secondly, no club can play more than two matches against teams from the same country. And finally, no specific fixture can be staged three years in a row during the league phase, which means Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid and Arsenal cannot visit Inter this term—although the fixtures can be reversed.
Pots are decided by UEFA club coefficient rankings, which are based on performances over the past five seasons. Theoretically, the strongest teams are in Pot 1 and the weakest in Pot 4.
The draw itself is aided by the help of a supercomputer, which randomly determines each club’s league phase opponents—in accordance with the aforementioned rules, of course.
The eight teams that finish top of the league phase table will automatically progress to the last 16, while those placed ninth to 24th compete in a knockout playoff round instead. Clubs who finish 25th and below are eliminated and won’t drop down into the Europa League, as was the case with the old group stage format.
2026–27 Champions League League Phase Teams
The usual cast of protagonists feature in this season’s competition. PSG are aiming to defend their crown while Spanish giants Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid all feature. German behemoths Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are present as expected.
The Premier League has five participants this year, with Manchester United and Aston Villa returning after missing the 2025–26 iteration. Last term’s runners-up Arsenal are joined by regulars Liverpool and Manchester City.
There’s no Juventus or AC Milan, but Serie A champions Inter are joined by Roma, Napoli and debutants Como. The latter are not the only newcomers, however, with Austria’s LASK, Norway’s Viking and Azerbaijan’s Sabah all making their first appearances.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Saint-Germain | Borussia Dortmund | Feyenoord | Slavia Prague |
| Bayern Munich | Roma | Lille | Slovan Bratislava |
| Real Madrid | Sporting CP | Bodø/Glimt | VfB Stuttgart |
| Liverpool | Aston Villa | Napoli | AEK Athens |
| Inter Milan | Porto | RB Leipzig | LASK |
| Manchester City | Manchester United | Villarreal | Como |
| Arsenal | Club Brugge | Fenerbahçe | Lens |
| Barcelona | Real Betis | Shakhtar Donetsk | Viking |
| Atlético Madrid | PSV Eindhoven | Galatasaray | Sabah |
• Best, Worst Champions League Draw for Each Premier League Club
When Does the 2026–27 Champions League League Phase Begin?
The league phase runs for eight matchdays, beginning on Sep. 8, 2026 and concluding on Jan. 27, 2027.
| League Phase Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | Sep. 8–10, 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | Oct. 13–14, 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | Oct. 20–21, 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | Nov. 3–4, 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | Nov. 24–25, 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | Dec. 8–9, 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | Jan. 19–20, 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | Jan. 27, 2027 |
When and Where Is the 2026–27 Champions League Final?
Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium will be in use for this season’s Champions League final, which will be held slightly later than usual on June 5, 2027.
It’s the second time the venue has been used for the Champions League showpiece event, with Liverpool beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 at the ground in 2019.
