UEFA announced that the 2026–27 Champions League league phase draw is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, in Nyon, Switzerland. The event begins at 5 p.m. BST (12 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast live via UEFA’s website and YouTube.
Out of 36 total slots, 30 have been filled by clubs based on their 2025–26 domestic results, with the final six spots to be determined by upcoming August playoffs. England leads in representation with six teams, followed by Spain with five, and Germany, Italy, and France with four each.
Notable participants include Manchester United, Aston Villa, Roma, Real Betis, Lille, and Shakhtar Donetsk, all returning to the competition. Italian club Como is set for their historic Champions League debut. The full list includes established sides like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague, Porto, and Club Brugge.
The competition retains the format from last year where 36 teams face eight different opponents across four pots. The top eight teams move directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th through 24th enter a two-legged playoff. Action kicks off between September 8 and 10, 2026, and concludes on January 27, 2027. The final is slated for June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
