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Champions League 2026-27 League Phase Draw: Date and Team Pot Breakdown

The draw for the league phase of the 2026-27 Champions League is scheduled for Thursday, 27 August at 17:00 BST in Monaco. Thirty-six teams will compete in this stage, with 29 having already qualified by the end of last season and seven spots still to be decided through upcoming qualifiers.

Format of the League Phase

During the league phase, each club will play eight matches against different opponents—four games at home and four away. Teams are divided into four pots based on UEFA club coefficient rankings from the previous five seasons ending in 2025-26. Each team will face two clubs from each pot but cannot be drawn against a club from the same nation.

The top eight teams after this phase will advance directly to the round of 16. Those placed ninth to twenty-fourth will enter the knockout play-off round, while the twelve lowest-ranked teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

Confirmed Teams and Pot Placement

While the final seven league phase entrants are yet to be confirmed, 29 clubs have secured their spots and most know their pot allocations. The first two pots each contain nine teams and are fully confirmed.

  • Pot 1: Paris St-Germain (France), Bayern Munich (Germany), Real Madrid (Spain), Liverpool (England), Inter Milan (Italy), Manchester City (England), Arsenal (England), Barcelona (Spain), Atlético Madrid (Spain)
  • Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Roma (Italy), Sporting (Portugal), Aston Villa (England), Porto (Portugal), Manchester United (England), Club Brugge (Belgium), Real Betis (Spain), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Aston Villa and Manchester United return this season after missing out last year and find themselves in pot two alongside established clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Porto.

Pot Three and Four Teams

Some spots in pots three and four are still open depending on upcoming qualifier results.

  • Pot 3 guaranteed: Feyenoord (Netherlands), Lille (France), Napoli (Italy), RB Leipzig (Germany), Villarreal (Spain), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Galatasaray (Turkey), and the winner of Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs Lyon (France)
  • Pot 4 guaranteed: VfB Stuttgart (Germany), Como (Italy), Lens (France), and winners of Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) vs Celje (Slovenia), Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) vs AEK Athens (Greece), Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel) vs Sabah (Azerbaijan)

The remaining four spots are being contested between:

  • NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) vs Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
  • Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) vs Viking (Norway)
  • Celtic (Scotland) vs LASK (Austria)
  • Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

If Bodo/Glimt defeat NEC Nijmegen, they will claim the last pot three spot. In that case, Slavia Prague and winners of the other two qualifying ties will go into pot four.

Should NEC Nijmegen win, Dinamo Zagreb could move into pot three if they beat Viking and Bodo/Glimt lose. Celtic and Slavia Prague have close rankings; if Celtic wins their match and both Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo Zagreb lose, Celtic will take the final pot three place. Otherwise, Slavia Prague will fill that spot in pot four.

Team Breakdown by Pot

  • Pot 1: Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
  • Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven
  • Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Winner of Fenerbahce vs Lyon
  • Pot 3 or 4: Winner of NEC Nijmegen vs Bodo/Glimt, Winner of Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking, Winner of Celtic vs LASK, Slavia Prague
  • Pot 4: Winner of Slovan Bratislava vs Celje, VfB Stuttgart, Winner of Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens, Como, Lens, Winner of Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Sabah

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