The 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League season is set to begin next month, with the highly anticipated draw for the main round scheduled for Thursday, August 27. The ceremony will take place at 6pm (17:00 GMT) at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, where 36 clubs will learn their paths in the competition.
Of the 36 participants, 29 secured their spots through their domestic league rankings. The final seven positions were determined via a qualifying process that concludes just hours before the draw. Recent qualifiers include Bodo/Glimt, LASK, and Sabah, with the remaining slots being finalized on Wednesday.
Competition Format and Pots
Under the current format, each club will face eight opponents—two from each of the four pots—with four matches played at home and four away.
- Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
- Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto Club, Brugge PSV, Eindhoven, Real Betis
- Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt, (winner of League Path)
- Pot 4: Slavia Prague, VFB Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, (3 winners of Champions Path)
League and Knockout Schedule
The league phase runs from September through January, followed by the knockout stages, culminating in the final on June 5 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
- Matchday 1: September 8-10
- Matchday 2: October 13-14
- Matchday 3: October 20-21
- Matchday 4: November 3-4
- Matchday 5: November 24-25
- Matchday 6: December 8-9
- Matchday 7: January 19-20
- Matchday 8: January 27
- Playoffs: February 16-17 and 23-24
- Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
- Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and 13-14
- Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
Defending Champions and Recent Form
Paris Saint-Germain enters the season as back-to-back champions, aiming for a historic third consecutive title. Last season, PSG defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest. The victory was sealed when Arsenal’s Gabriel sent his spot-kick over the bar, marking PSG as the first team to retain the trophy since Real Madrid’s three-year streak from 2016 to 2018.
PSG has already demonstrated strong form this August, securing their second consecutive UEFA Super Cup by defeating Aston Villa 2-1. Desire Doue scored the decisive 61st-minute goal following an Ousmane Dembele assist, which was upheld after a video review confirmed Matty Cash had played him onside. The report also notes that here’s all you need to know about this year’s draw. The report also notes that of the 36 competing teams, 29 qualified with their rankings in their respective national leagues. The report also notes that earlier in August, PSG won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1, thanks to Desire Doue’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European football season.
Important Details
- The report also notes that the French side held their nerve in a cagey final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as the nail-biting showdown ended 1-1 after extra time.
