How does the Champions League draw work? 2025-26…

How does the Champions League draw work? 2025-26 League Phase, Pots info and fixture dates

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The Champions League draw takes place today. Here's all you need to know about it.

Scheduled to begin at 17:00 BST (5pm) on Thursday, August 28, the draw for the 'League Phase' of the 2025-26 Champions League will be held in Monaco.

This year's draw follows the same process as last season, which was the first to feature the new 36-team 'League Phase' format.

PSG boss Luis Enrique with the Champions League trophy after his side's 2025 victory (Image credit: UEFA via Getty Images)

How does the Champions League draw work?

The 36 qualified teams are comprised of 27 clubs that qualified through their league performances, the winners of last season’s Champions League and Europa League, and the seven teams that advanced from the qualifying and play-off rounds.

Clubs are separated into four pots according to their individual UEFA club coefficient, which is measured by their performance in UEFA competition over the past five seasons.

The draw proceeds with each team from Pot One being selected one-by-one. UEFA's automated software then assigns eight different opponents to each team.

A total of eight matches will be played by each club—two against teams from each Pot, with one game at home and one away. To maintain fair play, no team will face another from the same country.

🇪🇺 All 36 teams in the League Phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Six English clubs🆕 Four competition debutants 🧊 Trips to the Arctic Circle 🇰🇿 UEFA's easternmost qualifier🔮 The #UCLdraw takes place later today.https://t.co/PulCH6m6oAAugust 28, 2025

Additionally, no more than two matches can be played against teams from a single nation. This procedure continues until the schedule for all 36 teams is finalised.

The complete list of Champions League fixtures, including dates and kick-off times, is expected to be released by Saturday, August 30.