Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Champions League 2026/27 Draw, Teams, Format and Schedule
The Champions League is a football competition involving the best clubs from Europe.
In the 2026/27 season, 36 teams will play in one large league table.
Each team will play eight games against different opponents.
Half of those games will be at home and half will be away.
The best eight teams will go straight to the round of 16.
Teams finishing from ninth to 24th will play extra matches for a place in the next round.
The draw will be held in Monaco on Aug.
27 and shown free on UEFA’s livestream.
The final is planned for June 5 in Madrid.
The 2026/27 Champions League will feature 36 teams under the revamped league-phase format.
Each team will play eight different opponents, with four matches at home and four away.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24th enter play-offs.
The draw is scheduled for Aug. 27 at 5:00 p.m. BST in Monaco and will be streamed free by UEFA.
The league phase runs from Sept. 8 to Jan. 27, with the final scheduled for June 5 in Madrid.
- Who
- Thirty-six European football clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
- What
- The draw and tournament details for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League.
- When
- The draw is scheduled for Aug. 27 at 5:00 p.m. BST; the league phase runs from Sept. 8, 2026, to Jan. 27, 2027.
- Where
- The draw will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco; the final is scheduled for Madrid, Spain.
- Why
- The competition determines Europe’s best football team.
- Participating teams
- 36
- League-phase format
- Each team plays eight different opponents: four home matches and four away matches.
- Direct qualification
- The top eight league-phase teams receive byes to the round of 16.
- Play-off qualification
- Teams ranked ninth to 24th compete in the knockout phase play-offs.
- Draw location
- Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
- Draw broadcast
- UEFA’s official free livestream worldwide, including India.
- League-phase dates
- Sept. 8, 2026, through Jan. 27, 2027
- Final
- June 5 in Madrid, Spain