The 36 teams taking part in this season’s Champions League will learn their fate when the draw for the league phase takes place this week.
The Champions League changed dramatically last season as the old group stage was scrapped and every team was placed into one big table instead.
The Premier League will have a five-strong contingent this year; Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle take their place alongside Europa League winners Tottenham.
Celtic will not be playing in the top tier of European football this season, however, having been stunned by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty on penalties following a 0-0 draw over the two legs.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Champions League draw, including when it takes place, how to watch on TV and those all-important pots for the 2025/26 campaign.
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When is the Champions League draw?
The Champions League draw will be held on Thursday, August 28 in Monaco. The ceremony will start at 6pm BST.
How does the league phase work?
There are 36 teams in the league phase and each team plays eight games.
The clubs are split into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient, with a team drawn from pot one and then the eight opponents rustled up by the automated software.
These eight opponents will be made up of two from each pot, with a home and away match against a team from each of the four pots.
Teams will not play another from their same country and can’t face more than two from one other country.
The top eight in the league phase go straight into the last 16 of the competition, with the next 16 clubs going into a play-off to join them.
How to watch the Champions League draw on TV and live stream
The draw will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with a live stream available on their website, YouTube channel and on Discovery+.
UEFA.com will also live stream the draw on their website and YouTube channel for free.
When does the Champions League begin?
The fixture list and dates will be confirmed ‘no later than Saturday, August 30,’ according to UEFA.
The league phase games will begin on September 16 and run all the way until January 28.
The knockout phase play-offs are in February and then the knockout phase proper begins in March.
Champions League pots
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt
Pot 2/3: Tottenham
Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, Bodo/Glimt
Pot 3/4: Monaco
Pot 4: Athletic Club, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Pafos, Kairat Almaty, Newcastle United
Remaining Champions League play-off fixtures
Qarabag vs Ferencvaros (3-1)
Club Brugge vs Rangers (3-1)
Benfica vs Fenerbahce (0-0)
Copenhagen vs Basel (1-1)
Ties to be played Wednesday, August 27
Who are the favourites to win the Champions League?
Defending champions PSG go into the tournament as favourites, with the Premier League winners Liverpool behind them.
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid follow in the odds, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich also considered contenders.
Champions League odds
PSG 5/1
Liverpool 11/2
Barcelona 6/1
Real Madrid 13/2
Arsenal 7/1
Man City 8/1
Bayern Munich 9/1
Chelsea 14/1
Newcastle 18/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair, full list available here
When are the Europa League and Conference League draws?
The Europa League and Conference League draws are held at the same time on Friday, August 29 at 1pm.
