There will be montages, there will be small talk but once the actual draw gets underway, the Pot 1 teams will be extracted from their proverbial hat first.

Then, gradually, the big guns will be paired with two opponents in each of the four pots (unsurprisingly, Pot 2 will follow next) before they all magically end up with four home games and four away.

Matchday 1: September 8-10

Matchday 2: October 13/14

Matchday 3: October 20/21

Matchday 4: November 3/4

Matchday 5: November 24/25

Matchday 6: December 8/9

Matchday 7: January 19/20

Matchday 8: January 27

Knockout phase play-offs: February 16/17 and 23/24

Round of 16: March 9/10 and 16/17

Quarter-finals: April 6/7 and 13/14

Semi-finals: April 27/28 and May 4/5

Final: June 5 (Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid)

• PSG
• Bayern Munich
• Real Madrid
• Liverpool
• Inter Milan
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Barcelona
• Atletico Madrid

• Borussia Dortmund
• Roma
• Sporting
• Aston Villa
• Porto
• Manchester United
• Club Brugge
• Real Betis
• PSV Eindhoven

• Feyenoord
• Lille
• Bodo/Glimt
• Napoli
• RB Leipzig
• Villarreal
• Fenerbahce
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Galatasaray

• Slavia Prague
• Slovan Bratislava
• VfB Stuttgart
• AEK Athens
• LASK
• Como
• Lens
• Viking
• Sabah

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw starts at 5pm BST (12pm ET) today, Thursday August 27.

The draw will arrange the eight matches each team contests in the 36-team first phase – facing two teams from pots one, two, three and four. Half of the matches will be at home, the other half away.

Where can I watch the Champions League draw?

The draw will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the United Kingdom, the joint host broadcasters in the UK of the Champions League alongside Prime Video.

• Paris Saint-Germain 5/1
• Barcelona 6/1
• Arsenal 6/1
• Bayern Munich 13/2
• Real Madrid 7/1
• Man City 8/1
• Liverpool 11/1
• Man Utd 14/1
• Inter Milan 25/1
• Atletico Madrid 28/1
• Aston Villa 28/1

Good afternoon and welcome to the Independent’s coverage of the Champions League 26/27 league phase draw.

There are 36 teams at this stage all fighting to eventually play for the trophy in the final next year at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano on 5 June.

Arsenal suffered agony last season on penalties at the hands of PSG and will hope to go one better after clinching their first Premier League title under Mikel Arteta.

While Man City, Man United, Aston Villa and Liverpool complete a strong contingent of Premier League sides.

Follow all the build-up and updates from Monaco ahead of this evening’s draw.