The draw for the league phase of the Champions League takes place on Thursday from 5pm, when six English sides will find out who they will play and you can follow it live on the Sky Sports app and skysports.com.

The Premier League clubs in the hat are Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

In total, 36 teams, seeded in four pots, will be drawn to play eight games between September 2025 and January 2026.

Which teams are in which pots?

The pots are decided on UEFA coefficient – i.e. how well each club has done in Europe in previous seasons.

Importantly, teams cannot play teams from their own country at this stage – so the English sides will be kept apart.

Pot 1

Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

Pot 2

Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge

Pot 3

Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

Pot 4

FC Copenhagen, AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

How does the Champions League league phase work?

The new format, which began in the 2024/25 season, sees teams play eight matches in a league phase that has replaced the group stage.

Teams now play fixtures against eight different sides – two teams from Pots 1, 2, 3 and 4. Half of the eight league-phase matches are at home, with the other half away.

The draw is done by a supercomputer which automatically selects the eight opponents by one touch of a button.

Who qualifies for the knockout rounds?

The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the round of 16, while teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated and do not drop into the Europa League.

The teams finishing in ninth to 24th place compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off. Teams finishing between ninth and 16th are seeded, meaning they will face a team in 17th-24th with the return leg at home.

The eight clubs who win their knockout-phase play-off each meet one of the seeded top-eight finishers in the league phase table for a place in the quarter-finals.

Champions League league phase match dates and schedule

Matchday 1: September 16-18
Matchday 2: September 30-October 1
Matchday 3: October 21/22
Matchday 4: November 4/5
Matchday 5: November 25/26
Matchday 6: December 9/10
Matchday 7: January 20/21
Matchday 8: January 28

Champions League knockout phase match dates and schedule

The draw for the two-legged knockout-phase play-offs takes place on January 30 2026.

The draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place on February 27.

Knockout phase play-offs: February 17/18 and 24/25
Round of 16: March 10/11 and 17/18
Quarter-finals: April 7/8 and 14/15
Semi-finals: April 28/29 and May 5/6
Final: May 30

When are where is the final?

The final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Hungary, Budapest on May 30 2026.