The league phase draw for the 2026-27 Champions League takes place on Thursday, 27 August at 17:00 BST in Monaco. A total of 36 teams will enter that stage, with 29 already confirmed from last season and 7 spots still to be decided by qualifiers concluding next week. Teams are divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending 2025-26. Each team faces eight different opponents once, with four home and four away matches, and cannot play sides from the same country. The top eight clubs advance to the round of 16, while positions nine to 24 enter the play-off knockout round. Clubs ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated after the league phase.

Pot one includes Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Manchester United and Aston Villa return to the competition in pot two, alongside Borussia Dortmund, Roma, and others. Pot three features confirmed entries such as Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, and RB Leipzig, with one more spot determined by the Fenerbahce vs Lyon playoff winner. Pot four includes VfL Stuttgart, Como, and Lens, with additional qualifiers from matches involving Levski Sofia, AEK Athens, and others.

The final four spots depend on outcomes of several qualifying ties, including NEC Nijmegen vs Bodo/Glimt and Celtic vs LASK. Club coefficients and match results will determine whether teams like Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, or Dynamo Kyiv secure places in pots three or four. The draw structure ensures competitive balance while rewarding consistent European performance.