The eagerly awaited draw for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League league phase will take place on Thursday, August 28. The event will follow the same procedure as last year, which introduced the new 36-team format. Twenty-nine teams that qualified based on their league positions, the winners of the last Champions League and Europa League, and the seven clubs that came through the qualifying rounds will take part in this draw.
The teams will be divided into four pots based on their individual UEFA coefficient. The draw will be conducted individually for each team, which will be paired with eight opponents using automated software. Each club will play a total of eight matches, two against teams from each pot, with the particularity of playing one at home and one away. In addition, the draw will ensure that teams from the same federation do not face each other.
The complete Champions League schedule, with match dates and times, will be published no later than Saturday, August 30. This is a crucial event that will define the clubs’ first challenges on their way to the knockout rounds and, ultimately, to lifting the most coveted trophy in European soccer.
Champions League 2025-26 draw date and format. Find out when it takes place, how it works, and what to expect from the league phase of the new European edition. | Photo by uefa.com / Depor
What time is the Champions League draw in the UK (BST)?
The draw for the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League will take place on Thursday, 28 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. In Portugal, it will start at 5pm British Summer Time (BST).
What time is the Champions League draw in Ireland (WET)?
The draw for the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League will take place on Thursday, 28 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. In Ireland, it will start at 5pm Western European Time (WET).
The final will be held at the at Puskas Arena, in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30, 2026. | Photo by uefa.com
What time is the Champions League draw in Portugal (WET)?
The draw for the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League will take place on Thursday, 28 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. In Portugal, it will start at 5pm Western European Time (WET).
What time is the Champions League draw in Spain (CEST)?
The draw for the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League will take place on Thursday, 28 August at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. In Spain, it will start at 5pm Central European Time (CET).
