Live draw for the 2025/26 Champions League, 11:00 PM tonight, August 28

(Live Champions League draw) - The 2025/26 Champions League draw event in Monaco gathers 36 leading European clubs, implementing a thrilling new system with fixtures running until late May next year.

Entering the second year with the new format, the draw ceremony UEFA Champions League 2025/26 draw will take place at 11:00 PM on August 28 (Vietnam time) in Monaco to determine the matchups for the main phase of the world's most prestigious club competition.

Paris Saint-Germain, after winning their first-ever European title, enter the new season as one of the top contenders for the crown to be decided in Budapest (Hungary) at the end of May 2026. Meanwhile, Real Madrid — a club with 15 titles — aims to return to the summit after being eliminated in last season’s quarterfinals.

Notably, this is the first time the tournament features 6 representatives from a single league, including Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Tottenham — prominent names from the Premier League.

Champions League draw process

In the 2025/26 season, a total of 36 European clubs will participate in the “league phase.” Each team will be paired with 8 different opponents, playing 4 home and 4 away matches, as decided during the draw.

Clubs will be divided into 4 seeded pots based on UEFA rankings. Teams from the same country will not face each other in this round (for example, Real Madrid cannot meet Barcelona), and no team will face more than 2 opponents from the same nation.

Champions League format

The 36 teams compete in a single “league” group, with matches scheduled on selected Tuesdays and Wednesdays extending until January 2026.

• Top 8 teams with the best performance will qualify directly for the Round of 16.

• Teams ranked from 9th to 24th enter a playoff round for the remaining spots, playing two-legged ties in February 2026 to determine the final 8 qualifiers.

• Following that, the official Round of 16 draw will be held, with the 8 group winners seeded.

Teams participating in the 2025/26 Champions League

• Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
• Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge
• Pot 3: Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax Amsterdam, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Olympique de Marseille
• Pot 4: FC Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos, Kairat

2025/26 Champions League schedule

League phase

• Matchday 1: September 16–18, 2025

• Matchday 2: September 30–October 1, 2025

• Matchday 3: October 21–22, 2025

• Matchday 4: November 4–5, 2025

• Matchday 5: November 25–26, 2025

• Matchday 6: December 9–10, 2025

• Matchday 7: January 20–21, 2026

• Matchday 8: January 28, 2026

Playoffs for Round of 16 spots

• First leg: February 17–18, 2026

• Second leg: February 24–25, 2026

Round of 16

• First leg: March 10–11, 2026

• Second leg: March 17–18, 2026

Quarterfinals

• First leg: April 7–8, 2026

• Second leg: April 14–15, 2026

Semifinals

• First leg: April 28–29, 2026

• Second leg: May 5–6, 2026

Final: May 30, 2026 at Puskás Aréna, Budapest (Hungary).

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