When is the Champions League draw? Start time,…

When is the Champions League draw? Start time, confirmed pots and how to watch for free

The draw for the Champions League 2025/26 league phase takes place today.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Club World Cup champions Chelsea, Newcastle and Europa League winners Tottenham will be in the draw, along with holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Champions League draw LIVE: Latest updates as fixtures revealed

The Gunners reached the semi-finals last term, losing out to PSG 3-1 on aggregate after thrashing both PSV and Real Madrid before their final four exit.

And Luis Enrique’s side went on to thump Inter Milan 5-0 in the final and have since edged past Spurs on penalties in the Uefa Super Cup earlier this month, denying Thomas Frank a trophy in his first game in charge.

Absent will be Celtic after their play-off round defeat to Kazakhstan’s Kairat, while Rangers are also out after a thrashing by Club Brugge on Wednesday night .

Here’s everything you need to know about the Champions League league phase draw

When is the Champions League draw?

The draw will be held in Monaco on Thursday, 28 August and begins at 5pm BST (6pm CET). The first balls will be drawn at around 5:30pm.

How to watch the Champions League draw

Uefa and TNT Sports will both offer a free live stream on their websites and YouTube channels.

How does the league phase draw work?

The league phase has 36 teams with every team handed eight games. The 36 teams are split into four pots of eight teams based on their Uefa coefficient, with the opponents generated by automated software.

The opponents then come from each pot, with two teams selected from each, one home and one away.

Teams cannot play another team from the same country and are not permitted to face more than two teams from one country.

Those finishing inside the top eight go straight into the last 16, then the next 16 teams advance to the play-off stage, with eight of those 16 teams progressing to the last 16.