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The UEFA Champions League 2025-26 season is set to begin with the league-stage draw, determining the fixtures for Europe’s top football clubs. The event is scheduled to be held in Monaco, revealing matchups featuring teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
Details about the UEFA Champions League draw
The UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league-stage draw is scheduled for Thursday (August 28), at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The event will kick-start at 9:30 PM IST/ 12:00 PM ET. Notably, it will also feature UEFA awards.
Live streaming details: How to watch the UCL draw?
The draw will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Network in India, and the live streaming will be available on the SonyLiv app and website.
In the United States, the live streaming will be available on Paramount+* and the Champions League app.
What is the league-stage format?
The 2025-26 season has retained the 36-team league phase format, which was introduced last year, replacing the traditional group stage.
Each team will play eight matches (four at home and four away) against opponents from four pots. Notably, the automated software will assign each team two opponents from each pot. This “Swiss Model” format results in 144 league-phase matches, with the final to take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30, 2026.
Rules regarding the fixtures
Teams cannot face opponents from their own league. For example, Liverpool won’t play Arsenal. Moreover, a team can face up to two clubs from the same country. For example, Manchester City could play Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, but not a third German team.
The four pots for the 2025-26 draw
The 36 teams are split into four pots based on UEFA club coefficients, with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain as the top seed in Pot 1.
The following are the teams and the pots:
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, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Praha, Bodø/Glimt, Olympique de Marseille
Pot 4: FC Copenhagen, AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos FC, Kairat Almaty
League stage schedule and key dates
The full league-stage schedule will be announced on August 31, 2025. Notably, the league phase will begin from September 16, 2025, to January 28, 2026.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will enter a knockout play-off scheduled in February 2026. The competition will continue with the Round of 16 in March, quarterfinals and semifinals in April and May.
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