The road to Europe’s biggest prize is about to become much clearer. On Thursday, August 27, the 36 clubs in the Champions League league phase will learn the eight opponents that shape their path through the competition.
Paris Saint-Germain enter the draw as defending champions after beating Arsenal in Budapest in May, and every other club will be hoping for a route that avoids the strongest early hurdles. With the modern league-phase format now fully established, the draw is no longer just a formality; it is one of the defining moments of the season.
When the draw takes place
The league phase draw is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, with proceedings set to begin at 5 p.m. BST. That is the moment when each club’s European calendar starts to take real shape.
How the new format works
The Champions League no longer uses the old four-team group system. Instead, the competition now runs as a 36-team league phase, and each club is paired with eight opponents drawn from across the four pots. Every team receives two opponents from each pot, creating a fixture list that is unique to that club alone.
This structure makes the draw far more unpredictable than the old format. Two clubs from the same pot may never cross paths in the same way, which means one side can end up with a demanding schedule while another lands a noticeably smoother run. The only major restriction is that teams cannot be drawn against other clubs from their own country.
That is what gives the event its drama. One draw can completely alter expectations for the next several months, especially when elite sides and dangerous outsiders are mixed throughout the pots.
The teams in the hunt
Pot 1 is headlined by some of Europe’s most powerful names, including Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Those clubs will all expect to avoid the harshest combinations, even though there is no easy route at this level.
Pot 2 brings another strong group of challengers, with Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, and PSV Eindhoven all waiting to be assigned. This section of the draw is where a lot of the suspense often begins, because several well-established clubs sit outside the top bracket.
Pot 3 adds more uncertainty with Feyenoord, Lille, Bodo/Glimt, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, and the winner of Fenerbahce against Lyon. Pot 4 is packed with qualifiers and lower-ranked sides, including the winners of Dinamo Zagreb against Viking, Slovan Bratislava against Celje, and Levski Sofia against AEK Athens, along with Slavia Prague, VfB Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, and Sabah.
Why Thursday matters so much
Once the draw is complete, clubs can finally map out the scale of the challenge ahead. Eight matchdays, eight different opponents, and plenty of room for surprises make this one of the most important events on the European football calendar. For some teams, Thursday will feel like the start of a dream. For others, it may look like the beginning of a very difficult campaign.
