Europe’s Elite Learn League-Phase Road
The 36 clubs in the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League have learned their league-phase opponents following Thursday’s draw in Monaco, beginning another season under the competition’s expanded format.
League phase takes shape
The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League league-phase draw has been completed, with 36 clubs discovering the opponents they will face in the opening stage of the competition.
The draw was held in Monaco and used UEFA’s automated digital process to assign fixtures across four seeding pots. Every team will play eight matches in the league phase.
Eight opponents for every club
Each club will face two opponents from each of the four pots, creating a schedule of four home matches and four away matches.
The format replaces the traditional four-team group stage. Instead, all 36 teams are placed in one league table, where results from the eight matches determine each club’s final position.
English clubs prepare for Europe
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are among the English sides taking part in the league phase.
They join major European clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the competition’s expanded opening stage.
Race for the knockout rounds
The top eight teams in the final league-phase table will qualify automatically for the Champions League round of 16.
Teams finishing from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining places in the last 16. Clubs outside the top 24 will be eliminated from European competition.
A new European campaign begins
The draw provides the first clear picture of the route facing every club, although UEFA will publish the full match schedule—including exact dates and kick-off times—separately.
The league phase will determine which teams progress directly to the round of 16, which sides face the play-offs, and which clubs exit Europe before the knockout rounds begin.