The Champions League draw takes place this afternoon at 5pm, with Liverpool and the five other Premier League sides finding out who their eight league phase matches will be against
The Champions League draw will determine the fixtures for the league phase
The Champions League draw will determine the fixtures for the league phase
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Image: Getty)
Key Events
The road to Budapest starts here! Those involved in this season's - including SIX English clubs - will soon discover their opponents for the league phase, as Europe's elite competition embraces its new format for the second time.
revamped the tournament to get rid of separate groups, instead creating one table containing all 36 teams. That means more matches, with every team playing an initial eight fixtures - four at home and four away between the middle of September and late January - which will be determined by tonight's draw in Monaco.
were by no means flawless in the league phase last year before clicking into gear once the knockout stages began, as they . The holders are among the favourites to retain their crown while , , , , and are dreaming of lifting the trophy in Budapest next May.
Scroll down to follow Mirror Football's live coverage of the draw, starting at 5pm UK time.
Official timings for the draw
As ever, it'll be a dragged out affair in Monaco.
Pot 1 begins at 5:31pm.
Pot 2 begins at 5:44pm.
Pot 3 begins at 5.55pm.
Pot 4 begins at 6:03pm.
The draw will be completed at 6:08pm.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea will therefore be first to learn their fixtures among the English clubs.
Who's hosting the 2026 final?
The 2025-26 Champions League final will be played at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, May 30.
Earlier today, UEFA confirmed that Champions League finals will now kick-off at 5pm (UK time), starting this season.
(Image:Angel Martinez - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Dates for the knockout phase
More dates for your diary...
Play-off round: February 17/18 and 24/25
Round-of-16: March 10/11 and 17/18
Quarter-finals: April 7/8 and 14/15
Semi-finals: April 28/29 and May 5/6
Final: May 30
Dates for league phase fixtures
All matches in the league phase will be played on the following dates...
Matchday 1: September 16/17/18
Matchday 2: September 30/October 1
Matchday 3: October 21/22
Matchday 4: November 4/5
Matchday 5: November 25/26
Matchday 6: December 9/10
Matchday 7: January 20/21
Matchday 8: January 28
Copenhagen
Monaco
Galatasaray
Union St.-Gilloise
Qarabag
Athletic Bilbao
Newcastle
Pafos
Kairat Almaty
Tottenham
PSV Eindhoven
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting Lisbon
Olympiacos
Slavia Prague
Bodo/Glimt
Marseille
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Benfica
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Club Brugge
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Inter Milan
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Hello and welcome
Good afternoon and welcome to Mirror Football's live coverage of the Champions League draw!
The competition's new format provided some mouth-watering ties in the league phase last season and we're set for the same this time around.
As many as SIX Premier League teams will soon learn their first eight fixtures - four at home and four away - which will take place from the middle of September to the end of January.
The draw in Monaco is due to begin at 5pm.
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