The draw for the 2026/27 Champions League league stage takes place on Thursday evening, with each of the 36 qualified clubs, including five Premier League representatives, set to discover their eight opponents.
The Premier League will have five clubs in the tournament. Last season's beaten finalists Arsenal take part once more, alongside Manchester City and Liverpool. Manchester United secured their spot with an impressive run under Michael Carrick, while Aston Villa qualified by winning last season's Europa League.
Draw start time and new rule
The draw will get underway at around 5pm UK time. UEFA have introduced a new rule for this season's draw, deciding that the same fixture cannot be played in three seasons in succession. As a result, Arsenal will not be allowed to play Inter Milan away, and Liverpool cannot be drawn against Real Madrid at home.
Pot allocations for the league stage
The Premier League sides are split across the first two pots. Pot 1 contains Paris, Bayern München, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Man City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atleti. Pot 2 includes B. Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Man Utd, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV.
Pot 3 features Feyenoord, Lille, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, Leipzig, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Shakhtar and Galatasaray. Pot 4 comprises Slavia Praha, S. Bratislava, Stuttgart, AEK Athens, LASK, Como, Lens, Viking and Sabah.
How the draw format works
Each side will play eight matches in the league stage, with qualification decided by a 36-team league table. Every team will be drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots.
All 36 clubs will learn their eight opponents during the evening, including the five Premier League sides.
