The draw for the UEFA Champions League will hold in Monaco, France, on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
This is the third season since the introduction of a new format for the Champions League, with 36 teams now all pooled together in one giant league and each playing games against eight different opponents.
Elite European club football is becoming increasingly polarised, and the continent’s richest teams will again feature prominently and take away the majority of the riches on offer.
Half of the competing clubs will come from the leading domestic leagues in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany.
The Premier League has five representatives in Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Aston Villa, while Spain also has five clubs including Real Betis who return to the Champions League after two decades away.
Como, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona, and Spain star Cesc Fabregas, will feature for the first time after upsetting the traditional order in Italy.
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There will also be a Champions League debut for upstarts Sabah of Azerbaijan, who started out in the first qualifying round and have won four ties to reach this point.
LASK of Austria also make their debut in the Champions League proper after a stunning comeback to beat Celtic in the play-offs.
The first round of matches in this season’s competition will take place between Tuesday, September 8, and Thursday, September 10.
The league phase will conclude in late January, while this season’s final will be played at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
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