The UEFA Champions League is set to embark on its 2026-27 season with a revamped format, featuring a 36-team league phase and a draw scheduled for Thursday. The competition, which concluded its previous season with Paris Saint-Germain as champions for the second consecutive year, will commence its league phase on September 8.

The new format, now in its third season, moves away from traditional groups to a single league where all 36 participating teams will play eight matches, four at home and four away. Teams are divided into four pots of nine, based on their UEFA club coefficient over the past five years. Each team will face two opponents from each pot.

A key rule change by UEFA stipulates that the same fixture cannot occur in the league phase for three consecutive years. This means matches like Liverpool vs. Real Madrid and Inter Milan vs. Arsenal, which have been played in recent seasons, are restricted unless they occur at specific venues. For instance, while Liverpool and Real Madrid might not face each other again in the league phase, they could be drawn together if the fixture is scheduled for the Bernabeu or Anfield.

An unusual aspect of this season's draw involves Shakhtar Donetsk, who will play their home matches at Stamford Bridge in London. This creates the possibility of an English team drawing the Ukrainian club and playing at Chelsea's home ground.

Team Pots and Notable Entrants

The draw itself will be conducted using a supercomputer. The seeding for the pots is as follows:

Pot 1: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.

Pot 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, and Real Betis.

Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Bodo/Glimt.

Pot 4: Slavia Prague, Como, Lens, Sabah, Viking, Slovan Bratislava, AEK Athens, Stuttgart, and LASK.

This season also marks the Champions League debut for several clubs. Italian side Como, revitalized under new ownership and managed by Cesc Fabregas, enters its first European campaign after securing a fourth-place finish in Serie A. The Azerbaijani club Sabah, founded in 2017, becomes the youngest club in Champions League history at nine years old. Austrian club LASK also makes its debut in the main tournament.

Notable returns include Real Betis, participating for the first time in two decades, and Manchester United, back after a two-year absence.

League Phase Progression and Knockout Qualification

Out of the 36 teams in the league phase, 24 will advance to the knockout stages. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the round of 16 and will be seeded. Teams finishing in the top four receive home advantage in the second leg of the round of 16 and quarter-final ties, while those in the top two extend this advantage to the semi-finals.

Teams ranked from ninth to 24th in the league phase will compete in a play-off round for a spot in the round of 16. Those ranked between ninth and 16th will have the advantage of playing the second leg of their play-off tie at home.

Favorites for the Title

Traditional European powerhouses are again considered the frontrunners. Paris Saint-Germain is currently the favorite to win, followed closely by Barcelona and Arsenal. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid round out the top five predicted contenders. Other odds include Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Como.

Broadcast Information

In the UK, the Champions League draw will be broadcast on TNT Sports. TNT Sports will carry the majority of the matches throughout the competition. Amazon Prime Video holds rights to broadcast one top Tuesday match per week, with first pick. Beginning next season, U.S. media company Paramount will become the primary broadcaster in the UK for the Champions League for a four-year period.