Match North Logo

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

The draw for the 2026-27 Champions League league phase will be held on Thursday, 27 August at 17:00 BST in Monaco. This stage features 36 teams, with 29 already qualified from last season and seven spots to be decided through upcoming qualifiers.

How does the league phase format work?

Each team will play eight matches against different opponents—four at home and four away. Teams are grouped into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings over the past five seasons ending in 2025-26. The highest-ranked clubs go into Pot 1, down to the lowest in Pot 4.

During the draw, each team faces two opponents from each pot but cannot play against clubs from their own country.

Qualification from the league phase

The top eight teams after the league phase advance directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked ninth to 24th enter a knockout playoff round, while those placed 25th to 36th exit the competition.

Who is in each pot?

While some final spots are pending, most teams and their pots are 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), Atletico 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)
  • Pot 3: Feyenoord (Netherlands), Lille (France), Napoli (Italy), RB Leipzig (Germany), Villarreal (Spain), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Galatasaray (Turkey), Winner of Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs Lyon (France)
  • Pot 4: VfB Stuttgart (Germany), Como (Italy), Lens (France), Winner of Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) vs Celje (Slovenia), Winner of Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) vs AEK Athens (Greece), Winner of Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel) vs Sabah (Azerbaijan)

Teams with uncertain pot placement

  • Winner of NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) vs Bodo/Glimt (Norway) will join either Pot 3 or 4.
  • Winner of Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) vs Viking (Norway) could enter Pot 3 if certain conditions are met.
  • Winner of Celtic (Scotland) vs LASK (Austria) also has a chance at Pot 3 depending on results.
  • Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) may fall into Pot 3 or 4 based on outcomes of other qualifiers.

Details on deciding these final spots

  • If Bodo/Glimt beat NEC Nijmegen, they take the last Pot 3 slot; Slavia Prague and others go to Pot 4.
  • If NEC Nijmegen wins and Bodo/Glimt loses, Dinamo Zagreb can claim Pot 3 if they overcome Viking.
  • Celtic and Slavia Prague have similar coefficients, but Celtic edges due to better points in 2024-25. If Celtic wins their tie and others falter, Celtic gets the final Pot 3 position.
  • If all three lose, Slavia Prague occupies the last Pot 4 spot.

Related News