Champions League Draw 2026-27 League Phase Fixtures Set Ahead of Schedule Release

Europe's biggest football clubs found out their Champions League destiny on Thursday as the 2026-27 UCL League Phase draw took place in Monaco.

This is the third year of UEFA's expanded 36-team competition, pitting all sides into a large league structure, rather than the traditional groups of four.

Pots and Matchups

Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid

Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven

Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray

Pot 4: Slavia Praha, S. Bratislava, Stuttgart, AEK Athens, LASK, Como, Lens, Viking, Sabah

Key Dates

League Phase

Matchday 1: Sept. 8–10

Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14

Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21

Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4

Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25

Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9

Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20

Matchday 8: Jan. 27

Knockout phase

Knockout phase play-offs: 16/17 & 23/24 February 2027

Round of 16: 9/10 & 16/17 March 2027

Quarter-finals: 6/7 & 13/14 April 2027

Semi-finals: 27/28 April & 4/5 May 2027

Final: 5 June 2027 (Madrid)

How the Draw and Format Works

Each team was handed two opponents from each pot, totalling eight matches. Teams from the same national association cannot be drawn against each other in the League Phase.

The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th will go into a two-legged playoff round. The winners of those will join the automatic qualifiers along the route that includes two-legged rounds until the single-legged final.

UEFA expects to announce the specific schedule for each match no later than Saturday Aug. 29.