The UEFA Champions League enters another significant stage today as the draw for the league phase takes place in Monaco, determining the opponents that 36 clubs will face in the competition’s latest format.
The draw will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco at 10pm Bangladesh time. For the third successive season, the competition will not feature the traditional group-stage format. Instead, all 36 teams will be placed in a single league table, with each side playing eight matches against eight different opponents.
The new format was introduced in the 2024-25 season, replacing the previous system involving 32 teams divided into groups. Paris Saint-Germain won the first two editions under the revamped structure and will begin their pursuit of a third successive European title next month under manager Luis Enrique.
The qualifying phase has now reached its conclusion, with the final play-off ties completed last night. Seven teams have earned their places in the league phase through the qualifying route, joining 29 clubs who secured direct entry based largely on their domestic league performances.
How the draw will work
The 36 participating clubs will be divided into four pots according to their UEFA club coefficient rankings. Each pot will contain nine teams.
Every club will then be drawn against two opponents from each of the four pots, giving each side a total of eight league-phase opponents. The system is designed to ensure that clubs face a mixture of teams from different levels of the coefficient rankings rather than being placed into a conventional group.
The draw is also subject to restrictions intended to prevent certain match-ups. Clubs from the same domestic league cannot normally be drawn against one another, while the allocation system must ensure that every team can complete its required list of eight opponents within the competition rules.
The exact pot allocation will be established according to the clubs’ coefficient rankings before the draw. That ranking system, based on clubs’ performances in European competitions over the relevant period, plays a central role in determining the strength of opponents a team may encounter.
29 clubs already guaranteed places
England has five clubs directly through to the league phase: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Spain also has five representatives — Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. Italy has four clubs in Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma and Como, while Germany is represented by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Stuttgart.
France has three direct entrants: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Lille. Portugal has Porto and Sporting CP, while the Netherlands has PSV and Feyenoord.
The remaining directly qualified clubs are Club Brugge of Belgium, Galatasaray of Turkey, Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine and Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic.
The seven remaining places were decided through the qualifying rounds. Three teams secured their league-phase berths during the play-off process earlier this week, with the final four places being settled in the concluding ties last night.
Once the draw is completed, clubs will know the eight opponents they must face during the league phase. The results across those matches will determine the overall league standings and shape the route into the knockout stages.
For the leading European sides, the draw therefore represents more than a ceremonial start to the tournament. The opponents selected tonight will help determine the difficulty of each club’s opening campaign and could have a significant bearing on their path towards the knockout rounds.
With Paris Saint-Germain seeking a third consecutive title under the current format and several of Europe’s traditional powers returning with ambitions of their own, the league-phase draw promises to provide the first clear indication of the challenges awaiting the continent’s leading clubs.
