On Thursday, August 28, 2025, football lovers will finally learn the lineups for the UEFA Champions League this season.
The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco will host the official draw at 16:00 GMT, where the 36 qualifying teams will learn their eight opponents for the tournament’s opening round.
The competition’s new league format, which has replaced the previous group stage, is only in its second year.
Every team competes in a single, large league table under this structure. Eight games total—four at home and four away—will be played by each team.
In accordance with their UEFA ranking, teams are chosen from four pots. Two opponents from each pot are faced by each side. No team may play more than two teams from the same league in this round, and clubs from the same nation cannot be matched against each other.
Everything to know about the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Draw
The league stage will begin on September 16, 2025, and end on January 28, 2026. Teams ranked 9–24 will compete in two-leg playoffs in February, while the top eight teams will advance directly to the knockout stage.
As of right now, 32 teams have guaranteed spots, and four more will be determined in the last qualifying rounds.
Pot 1: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Inter Milan
Pot 2: Tottenham (TBC), Eintracht Frankfurt, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, and Arsenal
Pot 3: Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Sporting CP, Marseille, Napoli, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 4: Union Saint-Gilloise, Pafos (Cyprus), Newcastle, Galatasaray, Monaco, and Kairat (Kazakhstan)
Four additional teams have not yet qualified. They are playing in the last play-off games tonight.
Important Dates
League Phase: September 16, 2025–January 28, 2026
Playoffs: February 17–18 and 24–25, 2026
Round of 16: March 8, 10, and 11, 2026
Quarterfinals: April 7–8, 14–15, 2026
Semi-finals: April 28–29 and May 5, 2026
Final: Budapest, May 30, 2026
With both underdogs and giants fighting for European glory, the Champions League guarantees exciting matches from the very beginning.
Credit: pulse.com.gh