The 36 teams taking part in the 2026-27 Champions League are learning their opponents for the league phase during today's draw in Monaco. The tournament is entering its third season using the revamped "Swiss model" in which all the clubs are grouped together and each side plays eight different teams in the opening round. Follow along below.
The 36 teams that have reached the Champions League - 29 automatic qualifiers, seven via the playoffs that concluded this week - are split into four pots of nine based on their UEFA coefficient rankings. Pot 1 contains the top-ranked teams - holders Paris Saint-Germain and last season's finalists Arsenal, for example - while Pot 4 houses the lowest-ranked squads.
The teams will be drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots to comprise their eight-match slate for the opening phase of the tournament. Every team will play four matches at home and four away matches.
Clubs from the same country can't be drawn against one another.
After the final round of league-phase matches, the top eight teams in the table advance straight to the round of 16. The clubs that finish ninth through 24th head to the knockout playoff round, where they're paired off to play two-legged ties to determine who else advances to the last 16.
The sides that finish 25th or lower in the league phase are eliminated from the competition and, unlike under the old tournament format, don't get parachuted into the Europa League.
This season's Champions League, the 72nd edition of Europe's elite club competition, begins with Matchday 1 on Sept. 8.
The league phase concludes Jan. 27, when all 18 matches will be played at the same time. The tournament culminates with the final June 5 at the Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.
Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10 Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14 Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21 Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4 Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25 Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9 Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20 Matchday 8: Jan. 27 KO playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and Feb. 23-24 Round of 16: March 9-10 and March 16-17 Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and April 13-14 Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5 Final: June 5
The fixture list with specific match dates and kickoff times for the league phase will be revealed by UEFA by Saturday, Aug. 29.
