The Champions League is back in its new guise, and this afternoon in Monaco the numbers, pots and probabilities will be given shape. For five Premier League clubs, the League Phase draw is the first real jolt of the 2026/27 season. For Paris Saint‑Germain, it is the start of another defence.
Arsenal arrive as English champions, still carrying the scar of last season’s final. Beaten by PSG on penalties, they were close enough to touch the trophy. Now they return with a title in their pocket and a clear objective: go one step further.
Manchester City, runners-up in the Premier League, are back in familiar territory as perennial contenders. Manchester United return “to Europe’s top table” after their absence, Liverpool are in as fifth-placed finishers, and Aston Villa step up as Europa League holders as well as last season’s fourth place in England. Five English flags in a 36‑team field, all staring at the same target.
Because the standard has been set in Paris. PSG have won Europe’s biggest club prize in each of the last two seasons and edged Arsenal on spot-kicks in the most recent final. They have strengthened again over the summer and go into this campaign as clear favourites to complete a hat‑trick.
Arsenal are widely seen as the most serious threat to that dominance. The Gunners’ domestic title, the pain of that shootout defeat and a squad that has grown together over several seasons all point in the same direction. Behind them lurk the heavyweights of Spain: Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Jose Mourinho back in charge at the Bernabeu for a second stint and already looming over the knockout stages that have not yet been drawn.
First, though, comes the choreography of the League Phase.
When and where the draw takes place
The draw for the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League will be staged today, Thursday August 27, 2026, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Proceedings begin from 5pm BST, when the 36 qualified clubs discover their eight opponents.
This is the second season of UEFA’s revamped format. Gone is the traditional group stage. In its place, a single league table in which each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents.
How to watch the draw
In the UK, TNT Sports 1 will show the draw live, with coverage starting at 5pm BST and the ceremony beginning shortly after. TNT Sports subscribers can also stream the event via the HBO Max app and website.
UEFA.com and the TNT Sports YouTube channel will carry the draw live and free, while Standard Sport will run a live blog for every twist, turn and awkwardly long drum roll.
The seeding pots
All 36 clubs have been placed into four pots of nine, based on their UEFA club coefficients at the start of the season. The final play-off ties on Wednesday night locked the pots in.
- Pot 1 is stacked with power: Paris Saint‑Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid.
- Pot 2 carries serious jeopardy of its own: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven.
- Pot 3 offers a mix of tradition, danger and awkward away trips: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray.
- Pot 4 is where some of the most intriguing storylines sit: Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Stuttgart, AEK Athens, LASK, Como, Lens, Viking, Sabah.
For English clubs, the permutations are endless. A heavyweight clash with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, a reunion with Mourinho, a tricky winter night in Bodo/Glimt or a politically charged tie against Galatasaray – all are on the table.
How the League Phase works
Under the new system, each team will play eight matches in the league phase. They will not face the same opponent home and away. Instead, they will meet eight different teams once each – four at home, four away.
The draw starts by ranking all clubs into the four seeding pots. Every side will then be paired with two opponents from each pot. One of those fixtures against each pot will be at home, the other away.
By the end of Matchday 8, the full 36‑team league table will be set. From there, the season splinters into its familiar knockout drama. But the path to that point is now longer, broader, and far less forgiving for anyone who starts slowly.
Key dates for the calendar
The schedule is relentless and spreads deep into the winter:
- Matchday 1: September 8–10, 2026
- Matchday 2: October 13/14, 2026
- Matchday 3: October 20/21, 2026
- Matchday 4: November 3/4, 2026
- Matchday 5: November 24/25, 2026
- Matchday 6: December 8/9, 2026
- Matchday 7: January 19/20, 2026
- Matchday 8: January 27, 2026
By then, we will know who has navigated the maze and who has been exposed by it.
For Arsenal, this is a chance to turn last season’s heartbreak into a statement. For Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa, it is an opportunity to drag the trophy back to England and break PSG’s grip on the competition.
The balls in Monaco will decide only the route. The question is whether anyone can finally knock the champions off course.
