The road to the 2025-26 Champions League league phase is about to reach its conclusion, as the qualifying playoff round second legs are taking place throughout the early stages of this week to determine the final seven teams in the tournament proper.
Twenty-nine of Europe's most elite clubs are ready and waiting to learn their fates in the upcoming league phase draw, as the second edition of UEFA's new brainchild comes into view following mixed reviews of the new format in 2024-25.
Like it or not, the 36-team league phase is here to stay, and after the usual pre-draw formalities - such as the introduction of familiar face Giorgio Marchetti and customary pre-amble with a legend of the game - fans can begin booking their hotels and plane tickets.
Here, Sports Mole runs down everything you need to know about the 2025-26 Champions League league phase draw, including the best and worst-case scenarios for Premier League clubs.
When is the 2025-26 Champions League draw?
The 2025-26 Champions League league phase draw will take place on Thursday, August 28 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, rather than UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draw ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5pm UK time (6pm local time), but as ever, the actual draw itself will almost certainly begin a little later after the obligatory build-up.
How does the 2025-26 Champions League draw work?
All 36 teams will be divided into four pots of nine - Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 - based on their UEFA coefficients, with the best-ranked teams and the reigning holders being placed in Pot 1.
Each team will then be individually drawn out and assigned eight random opponents via UEFA's automated software. All clubs will play four matches at home and four matches away and will take on two teams from each of the four pots.
That process will be repeated for all 36 teams until the league-phase draw is complete. However, teams cannot face opponents from the same nation in the league phase, so Manchester City cannot be drawn against Arsenal, for example.
Furthermore, sides can only be drawn against a maximum of two clubs from a single different association, meaning that Newcastle United cannot face all of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
How can I watch the 2025-26 Champions League draw?
The 2025-26 Champions League draw will be streamed live on the UEFA website, and viewers in the UK can also watch the ceremony on TNT Sports or its respective streaming service Discovery+.
2025-26 Champions League draw 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
Atalanta BC
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Pot 3
PSV Eindhoven
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting Lisbon
Olympiacos
Slavia Prague
Marseille
Pot 4
Galatasaray
Union Saint-Gilloise
Athletic Bilbao
Newcastle United
Undetermined
Which clubs could still qualify for the 2025-26 Champions League?
Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho on October 3, 2024
Seven spots are yet to be filled in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, and the playoff round second legs will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week to conclude the lineup, which will feature five Champions Path teams and two League Path teams.
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt are almost certainly through, having thrashed Sturm Graz 5-0 in the first leg of their tie, but Rangers need a Belgian miracle to progress after losing 3-1 to Club Brugge at Ibrox.
Qarabag beat Ferencvaros by the same scoreline away from home and are on the cusp of qualification too, while Pafos hold a slender 2-1 advantage over Red Star Belgrade.
However, the ties between Celtic and Kairat (0-0), Basel and Copenhagen (1-1) and Benfica and Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce (0-0) are all finely poised heading into the final round of preliminary fixtures.
Champions League draw 2025-26: Best and worst case scenarios for Premier League clubs
Liverpool manager Arne Slot pictured on August 4, 2025
While all of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City will be in Pot 1 for the 2025-26 draw, the Premier League trio will not escape facing some of Europe's other superpowers, most notably reigning champions PSG, a Lamine Yamal-inspired Barcelona and 15-time winners Real Madrid.
There is the possibility of either City, Chelsea or Liverpool facing both Real and Barcelona in the league phase - although that scenario would at least see them avoid Atletico from Pot 2 - or tackling both PSG and Bayern Munich.
Say either City, Chelsea or Liverpool drew both Barcelona and PSG from Pot 1, the Premier League side could then be paired with Atletico and Bayer Leverkusen from Pot 2, while Serie A champions Napoli are the big dogs in Pot 3 alongside PSV Eindhoven and Sporting Lisbon.
Based on the coefficient ranking of teams in qualifying, Fenerbahce would also be on course for a spot in Pot 3 should they make it through, while Monaco, Athletic Bilbao and Galatasaray could be the teams to avoid in Pot 4.
Arsenal will be in Pot 2, Tottenham Hotspur will be in Pot 2 or 3 based on which other teams qualify, and Newcastle United will reside in Pot 4, but the nightmare draw for all six Premier League clubs could be the same.
Envisage this as a prospective outcome for the Premier League clubs: PSG, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, PSV Eindhoven, Monaco, Athletic Bilbao. Intimidating.
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola on August 16, 2025
From worst-case scenarios to best-case scenarios, the two teams that stand out as the 'friendliest' opponents in Pot 1 are undoubtedly Borussia Dortmund and 2024-25 runners-up Inter Milan, who now have managerial novice Cristian Chivu at the helm following the departure of Simone Inzaghi.
Down in Pot 2 - which Benfica, Rangers and Club Brugge could also enter - Juventus are not the all-conquering force of Italian football that they once were, while Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt should also be seen as beatable.
Slavia Prague are the undoubted minnows of Pot 3, which will also hold Bodo/Glimt, Red Star Belgrade, Copenhagen, Fenerbahce and potentially Rangers, while Marseille are never far from the centre of controversy and do not possess their own fear factor either.
Down in the depths of Pot 4, Pafos and Kairat would wind up there if they can progress from their qualifying ties; the former only have a UEFA coefficient of 11.125 for the 2024-25 season - putting them 144th in the rankings - while Kairat's is non-existent.
Best-case Champions League draw for Premier League clubs: Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, Rangers, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Pafos, Kairat
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