The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League field is finally set. With the four remaining playoff ties completed Wednesday night, all 36 teams are ready to discover their opponents in Thursday’s league-phase draw in Monaco. The revamped competition will once again feature eight matches for every club, with the draw determining four home and four away opponents from across the four seeding pots.
The field includes Europe’s biggest clubs, familiar Champions League names and a handful of teams experiencing this stage of the competition for the first time.
GettyTitle holders PSG will find out their opponents in the league phase of this year’s UEFA Champions League on Thursday.
Champions League 2026-27: The 36 Teams in the Draw
Here is the complete field for the league phase:
England (5): Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool
Spain (5): Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis
Germany (4): Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart
Italy (4): Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como
France (3): Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille
Netherlands (2): PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
Norway (2): Bodø/Glimt, Viking
Portugal (2): Porto, Sporting CP
Turkey (2): Galatasaray, Fenerbahce
Austria (1): LASK
Azerbaijan (1): Sabah
Belgium (1): Club Brugge
Czechia (1): Slavia Prague
Greece (1): AEK Athens
Slovakia (1): Slovan Bratislava
Ukraine (1): Shakhtar Donetsk
The four playoff winners tonight complete a field that began with 29 automatic qualifiers. UEFA’s official qualifying guide confirms how the seven qualifying places were filled.
There are some particularly interesting stories within the field. Sabah will make Champions League history as the first club from Azerbaijan to reach the league phase, while LASK and Viking will also be making their debuts at this stage of the competition. All three clubs came through the playoffs to earn the opportunity to test themselves against Europe’s elite, with Viking’s victory over Dinamo Zagreb particularly notable given the Croatian club’s extensive Champions League experience.
Champions League Draw Pots for 2026-27
The 36 clubs are divided into four pots of nine teams, based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings. Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion, heads Pot 1 alongside eight of Europe’s highest-ranked clubs. UEFA’s official draw regulations state that every team will face two opponents from each pot.
Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid
Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Bodø/Glimt
Pot 4: Viking, Slavia Prague, VfB Stuttgart, AEK Athens, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, Slovan Bratislava
The draw will not produce traditional groups. Instead, every club will receive eight different opponents, two from each pot, with one home and one away game against each pot. Teams from the same national association cannot face one another, while a club can face no more than two opponents from any other individual association. UEFA’s explanation of the league-phase draw outlines how the system will work.
The draw is also partly automated. A physical draw will identify each club, while software determines its eight opponents while ensuring that all of UEFA’s restrictions are satisfied. Once the league phase begins, the top eight teams in the table will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth through 24th will enter the knockout-phase playoffs, while those finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated.
The draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, August 27, at 18:00 CET (12 p.m. ET). The league phase begins September 8, with the complete fixture schedule to be announced after the draw.
Champions League Draw: 36 Teams Set for 2026-27 League Phase