The UEFA Champions League is set to resume its build-up towards the 2025/26 campaign, with the league phase draw scheduled to take place in Monaco this Thursday, 27 August. The ceremony arrives roughly three months after Paris Saint-Germain held onto their European crown by beating Arsenal on penalties in the final in Budapest.
The draw will determine the fixtures for each of the 36 clubs competing in the competition's league phase, with every side learning the identity of its eight opponents. Kick-off for the draw is set for 5pm BST (12pm ET), and it will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the United Kingdom, continuing the broadcasters' joint role alongside Prime Video as hosts of Champions League coverage.
England's representation in the tournament includes five confirmed participants: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool. Celtic could become the sixth British club involved, provided they see off LASK in their play-off tie. The Scottish champions hold a commanding advantage after winning the first leg 3-0.
Among the leading names seeded in Pot 1 alongside the English trio of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. PSG will enter the competition aiming to become champions for a third year running.
Pot 2 features Aston Villa and Manchester United, joined by Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven and Real Betis. Pot 3 includes Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray and the winner of the Fenerbahce–Lyon tie, while further places in Pots 3 or 4 depend on outcomes involving NEC Nijmegen against Bodo/Glimt, Dinamo Zagreb versus Viking, and Celtic's clash with LASK, alongside Slavia Prague's confirmed slot.
Pot 4 is completed by the winner of Slovan Bratislava against Celje, VfB Stuttgart, the victor of Levski Sofia versus AEK Athens, Como, Lens and whichever side prevails between Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Sabah.
Once the draw assigns fixtures, each club will face two opponents from each of the four pots, with four matches played at home and four away, ensuring a balanced schedule across the newer 36-team format.
The format's qualification structure remains as established since its introduction: the top eight finishers after the league phase advance directly to the round of 16, while clubs placed ninth through 24th enter a knockout-phase play-off round. Sides that finish between ninth and 16th will be seeded and will therefore play the second leg of their play-off at home. Any team finishing 25th or below will be eliminated altogether, with no fallback route into the Europa League.
The competition's calendar has also been outlined, beginning with Matchday 1 on September 8-9, followed by Matchday 2 on October 13-14, and continuing through to Matchday 8 on 27 January. The knockout-phase play-offs will be held on February 16-17 and 23-24, ahead of the round of 16 in March, quarter-finals in April, and semi-finals stretching into early May.
The final will be staged at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on 5 June, bringing the curtain down on another edition of Europe's premier club competition.
Based on reporting from The Independent.