The 2026-27 Champions League league phase draw will take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 27, with 36 teams set to discover their opponents for the new campaign.

The draw is scheduled for 17:00 BST, with 29 teams having qualified automatically at the end of last season and the remaining seven securing their places through the play-off rounds.

Under the league-phase format, each club will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with four fixtures at home and four away.

The 36 teams will be divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings from the five-season period ending with the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign. Every team will then be drawn against two opponents from each pot.

Clubs cannot face another team from the same country, while UEFA has introduced an additional restriction for this season’s draw. Teams cannot host the same opponent in three consecutive league phases.

As a result, Liverpool will not be drawn at home against Real Madrid, while Arsenal will not be drawn away to Inter Milan. However, those potential fixtures could still take place with the venues reversed.

The league phase will also determine who progresses to the knockout stages. The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter the knockout play-offs.

For the teams finishing 25th to 36th, their Champions League campaign will end after the league phase, with no opportunity to continue in the competition.

With Europe’s biggest clubs awaiting their opponents, the draw could immediately produce several blockbuster fixtures.

Which clubs will face the toughest Champions League league-phase draw, and who could emerge as the early favourites for the 2026-27 title?