The UEFA Champions League draw takes place on Thursday under the revamped “league phase” system, now in its second season. It starts at 5 p.m. UK / midday ET, with UEFA set to publish the full order of fixtures on Saturday. The league phase opens on 16–18 September and runs to a synchronized final matchday on 28 January.
How The Format and Seeding Work
Instead of groups, each club receives eight fixtures: two each (home and away) against opponents from Pots 1–4. Because teams can now face sides from their own pot, landing in Pot 1 no longer guarantees easier games. Only the Champions League holders get automatic Pot 1 status; all other seedings follow UEFA’s club coefficient. Moreover, clubs can’t face domestic rivals in the league phase, which forces the six non-English teams in Pot 1 to draw any two Premier League opponents.
Pots at a Glance
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona.
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge.
Pot 3: Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille.
Pot 4: Copenhagen, AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle United, Pafos, Kairat Almaty.
Key Dates and The Road to Budapest
Matchdays fall on: 16–18 Sept; 30 Sept–1 Oct; 21–22 Oct; 4–5 Nov; 25–26 Nov; 9–10 Dec; 20–21 Jan; and 28 Jan. UEFA plans to release the detailed sequence after the draw. This season’s final takes place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest on Saturday, 30 May.
For South African fans, the UEFA Champions League draw sets the tone for a packed summer-to-winter calendar with heavyweights colliding early and often.
