The 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League season is set to kick off next month, with the highly anticipated draw for the main round taking place this Thursday. The ceremony will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, beginning at 6pm (17:00 GMT) on August 27.
A total of 36 clubs will compete in this year’s tournament. While 29 teams secured their spots based on their domestic league rankings, the final seven positions were determined through a qualifying competition that concludes just hours before the draw. Recent qualifiers include Bodo/Glimt, LASK, and Sabah, with the remaining slots to be finalized on Wednesday.
Tournament Structure and Pots
Under the current format, each participating club will face eight different opponents—two from each of the four seeding pots. This league phase will feature four home matches and four away fixtures for every team.
- Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
- Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto Club, Brugge PSV, Eindhoven, Real Betis
- Pot 3: Feyeroord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt, (winner of League Path)
- Pot 4: Slavia Prague, VFB Stuttgart, LASK, Como, Lens, Sabah, (3 winners of Champions Path)
Match Schedule
The league phase is scheduled to run from September through January, followed by the knockout stages which culminate in the final on June 5. The final will be hosted at the Estadio Metropolitano, the home ground of Atletico Madrid.
- 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
- Playoffs: February 16-17 and 23-24
- Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
- Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and 13-14
- Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
Defending Champions and Recent Form
Paris Saint-Germain enters the season as the back-to-back title holder, aiming for a historic third consecutive trophy. Last season, PSG secured the title in a tense final against Arsenal, winning 4-3 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 following extra time. The victory was sealed when Arsenal defender Gabriel sent his spot-kick over the bar at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, marking the first time a club has retained the trophy since Real Madrid’s three-year run from 2016 to 2018.
PSG also maintained their momentum earlier this August by winning the UEFA Super Cup for the second year in a row, defeating Aston Villa 2-1. Desire Doue scored the decisive goal in the 61st minute after a video review confirmed he was onside following a pass from Ousmane Dembele. The report also notes that here’s all you need to know about this year’s draw. The report also notes that of the 36 competing teams, 29 qualified with their rankings in their respective national leagues. The report also notes that only for the goal to be awarded following a video review, with Matty Cash adjudged to have marginally played him onside, doue’s 61st-minute strike after running onto Ousmane Dembele’s pass was initially ruled out for offside.
Important Details
- The report also notes that the French side held their nerve in a cagey final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as the nail-biting showdown ended 1-1 after extra time.
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