The Champions League draw and where to watch
The draw for the league phase of the Champions League will take place on Thursday, August 28th, in Monaco.
You can follow the latest news throughout the day on Flashscore and watch the draw live on UEFA.com from 5pm BST.
Seedings, groupings and the procedure will be available on UEFA.com from 07:30 BST on the morning of the draw.
Who has qualified for the 25/26 Champions League
England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, Villarreal
Italy: Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Monaco
Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax
Portugal: Sporting CP, Benfica*
Belgium: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Türkiye: Galatasaray
Czechia: Slavia Prague
Greece: Olympiacos
Belgium: Club Brugge*
Denmark: FC Copenhagen*
Hungary: Ferencvaros*
Norway: Bodo/Glimt*
Cyprus: Pafos*
Kazakhstan: Kairat Almaty*
*Play-off winners
Follow the rest of the 25/26 Champions League qualifiers with Flashscore.
Key dates for the 25/26 UEFA Champions League
Draw for League Phase fixtures: August 28th
League Phase first matchday: September 16th-18th
League Phase last matchday: January 28th, 2026
Draw for knockout playoffs: January 30th
Knockout playoffs: February 17th and 18th (first legs), February 24th and 25th (second legs)
Final draw (for round of 16 and beyond): February 27th, 2026
Round of 16: March 10th and 11th (first legs), March 17th and 18th (second legs)
Quarter-finals: April 7th and 8th (first legs), April 14th and 15th (second legs)
Semi-finals: April 28th and 29th (first legs), May 5th and 6th (second legs)
Final: May 30th
When and where is the 25/26 Champions League final
The Champions League final will take place on May 30th, 2026, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. The stadium is an all-seater with a capacity of 67,215. It is the first time the final will be staged in Hungary.
UEFA Champions League format explained
Ahead of last season's competition, there was a big overhaul of UEFA’s premier competition, and indeed all of the continental cups in Europe. Gone are the days of the 32-team group phase with pools - a 36-team league phase has replaced that format.
This season, just like last, each of the 36 teams plays eight games. The top eight at the end of the league phase automatically qualify for the round of 16, while the bottom eight are eliminated and do not drop down to the Europa League.
Meanwhile, the teams that finished between ninth and 24th go into the knockout playoff round to decide which further eight will complete the round of 16. The final draw for the knockout stages takes place after the knockout playoff round.
The round of 16 sees the top eight (seeded) teams drawn against the other (unseeded) teams. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final follow as per typical cup competitions.