Need to know
The Champions League draw will reveal every club's path to glory during the coming campaign just as the Premier League fixtures for next season drop on Friday
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference before the Gunners face Chelsea and on Transfer Deadline Day
Arsenal will hope to go one better after finishing as Champions League runners-up this season(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
All you need to know about the Champions League draw:
Draw date: The league phase draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League will be held on Thursday, August 27. This high-profile event determines the opponents for the 36 clubs involved, including 29 automatic qualifiers and seven winners from the play-off round.
Matches start: The first competitive European matches of the 2026/27 season are scheduled to kick off very soon, with the first qualifying round of the Champions League beginning on July 7. These early-stage encounters represent the first step on the long road toward the final in Madrid.
Current titleholders: The reigning champions for the 2026/27 cycle include the current holders of Europe’s top titles, though the most recent Champions League and Europa League winners are currently in the midst of defending their status. Specifically, Crystal Palace enter the 2026/27 Europa League as the newly crowned UEFA Conference League champions after their success in the 2025/26 campaign.
English dominance: English football will be well-represented in Europe next season, with five Premier League clubs securing spots in the Champions League: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool. These sides will aim to reclaim the trophy for England by navigating the challenging new league phase format.
Europa odds: The UEFA Europa League will also feature a strong English contingent, with Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace having qualified for the competition. Crystal Palace notably earned their place in this tournament by winning the Conference League title last season.
Clean sweep: Brighton & Hove Albion will carry the torch for England in the UEFA Conference League, representing the Premier League in that competition for the 2026/27 season. This diverse spread of English clubs across all three major European tournaments highlights the growing depth of talent in the domestic league.
First table fixtures: Following the draw in late August, the Champions League league phase is set to officially commence with Matchday 1, scheduled for September 8-10. This marks the beginning of the autumn-to-winter phase of the competition, leading into the knockout stages in the new year.
Key closing dates: The season will conclude on Saturday, June 5, 2027, when the Champions League final is hosted at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid. Fans across Europe will be watching to see which club lifts the trophy to cap off the 72nd season of the competition.
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