Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s position as one of Europe’s elite is set to be confirmed when the Champions League draw takes place tomorrow evening in Monaco, with the Reds securing a coveted Pot 1 seeding that reflects their status among the continent’s premier clubs.
The Merseyside’s will be joined in the top pot by defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona – a stellar collection of Europe’s heavyweight clubs.
For Liverpool, this represents the fruits of years of consistent Champions League performance, with their UEFA coefficient ranking of 125.5 points placing them sixth in Europe’s club standings.
Liverpool’s inclusion in Pot 1 is part of a remarkable Premier League representation in this season’s competition, with a record six English clubs qualifying for the Champions League proper.
Arsenal joins Liverpool among the 36 teams, though the Gunners find themselves in Pot 2 after missing out on the top seeding bracket.
Manchester City and Chelsea complete the Premier League contingent in Pot 1, while Tottenham and Newcastle United round out England’s representation in Pots 2 and 4 respectively.
The teams for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League league phase are divided into four pots as follows:
Pot 1 includes Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pot 2 contains Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, and Eintracht Frankfurt, with some spots still to be finalized.
Pot 3 is made up of PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, and Bodø/Glimt.
Pot 4 features Athletic Club, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Pafos, Kairat Almaty, and Newcastle United.
This means Liverpool will play two sides from each pot.
Today’s draw marks the second year of the Champions League’s controversial new format, which expanded from 32 to 36 teams and replaced the traditional group stage with a single league table.
The draw ceremony takes place at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum at 6pm CET (5pm UK time).
Each team plays eight matches rather than six, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16 and teams finishing ninth to 24th entering playoff rounds.
The league phase fixtures will run from September 16 through January 28, 2026, with Liverpool playing four home and four away matches across eight matchdays.
See table below for more details of the 2025/26 Champions League season:
Event Date Details
Champions League League Phase Draw August 28, 2025 Draw ceremony at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum, 6pm CET (5pm UK time)
Release of Fixture List August 30, 2025 Full schedule with dates and kick-off times published
League Phase Matchdays Begin September 16, 2025 Liverpool starts group stage matches (8 matchdays total)
League Phase Matchdays End January 28, 2026 Conclusion of league phase and standings confirmed
Round of 16 Knockouts Begin February 2026 Top 8 teams progress directly; 9th-24th enter playoffs
2025-26 Champions League Final May 30, 2026 Final at Puskás Aréna, Budapest
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