All eyes will be on the Swiss city of Nyon as the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League draw for the league stage takes place, setting the stage for a very exciting tournament.
Paris Saint-Germain holds the Champions League title from the last edition, having won the trophy for the first time in its history with a resounding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final at the Allianz Arena.
PSG faces a difficult task to retain their title, given the participation and full preparation of Europe’s elite clubs, led by Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Premier League giants, German giant Bayern Munich, and others.
2025-26 UEFA Champions League Format
For the second year in a row, the Champions League will feature 36 teams, instead of 32, with the competition being played in a single group instead of the traditional eight.
The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League draw will divide the participating clubs into four pots, based on their European successes over the past five years.
Each team will play eight matches, four at home and four away, against two teams from each pot. Teams from the same country are prohibited from meeting each other in this round, nor are teams from the same country allowed to play each other (even if they are in different pots).
The draw will be conducted using artificial intelligence.
Date of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League
UEFA has set Thursday, August 28, 2025, as the date for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League for league phase.
The draw is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM Mecca and Cairo time.
Teams Qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League
For the first time in history, six English teams will participate in the Champions League. The Premier League secured the extra place based on last season’s successes, and Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in the Europa League regardless of their domestic standing.
The English teams participating are: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham.
Spain has five places, represented by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and Villarreal.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Eintracht Frankfurt will participate from Germany. Napoli, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Atalanta will participate from Italy.
Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will participate from France, along with Marseille and Monaco.
Three teams have qualified for the league stage for the first time in history: Pafos SC of Cyprus, Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, and Bodo Glimt of Norway.
The Netherlands will be represented by Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, along with Galatasaray (Turkey), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), Olympiacos (Greece), Sint-Gilloise (Belgium), and Slavia Prague (Czech Republic).
Team pots for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League group stage draw
First: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Second: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt
Third: Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo Glimt, Marseille
Fourth: Monaco, Galatasaray, Sint-Gilloise, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle, Paphos, Kairat Almaty
