Champions League 2025/26 Draw: Teams, Pots, and Schedule

Football fans are in a frenzy today as the draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League is set to take place in Monaco. The 36 qualified teams have been split into four seeding pots ahead of the league-phase draw, which will be streamed live at 18:00 CET on Thursday, 28 August 2025. This draw will determine each club’s opponents in the new “league phase” (replacing the traditional group stage) of the Champions League. Interest is sky-high – everyone is eager to see these matchups unveiled, especially with a long road ahead to a historic final next spring.

Teams and Seeding Pots for 2025/26

The teams are divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients, with the reigning Champions League titleholder as the top seed in Pot 1. Below are the confirmed pots and all clubs participating in tonight’s draw:

• Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Real Madrid (ESP), Manchester City (ENG), Bayern Munich (GER), Liverpool (ENG), Inter Milan (ITA), Chelsea (ENG), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Barcelona (ESP)uefa.com
• Pot 2: Arsenal (ENG), Bayer Leverkusen (GER), Atlético Madrid (ESP), Benfica (POR), Atalanta (ITA), Villarreal (ESP), Juventus (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), Club Brugge (BEL)uefa.com
• Pot 3: Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Ajax (NED), Napoli (ITA), Sporting CP (POR), Olympiacos (GRE), Slavia Prague (CZE), Bodø/Glimt (NOR), Marseille (FRA)uefa.com
• Pot 4: Copenhagen (DEN), Monaco (FRA), Galatasaray (TUR), Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL), Qarabağ (AZE), Athletic Bilbao (ESP), Newcastle United (ENG), Pafos (CYP), Kairat Almaty (KAZ)uefa.com

Every team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot (one home, one away) in the league phase, and importantly, clubs from the same country cannot be drawn to face each other at this stage. That means we’ll see a truly international slate of fixtures – for example, English teams will avoid each other and instead meet clubs from across Europe. The draw outcome will essentially map out eight exciting match-ups for each club, setting the stage for the Champions League action to kick off on 16–18 September (Matchday 1).

Road to the Final in Budapest

All of this season’s Champions League excitement is building toward one destination: the Final at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Final is set for 30 May 2026 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. It’s an especially historic occasion – this will be the first time Europe’s premier club competition final is ever held in Hungary. As a Budapest-based company, we could not be more thrilled or proud: our whole city is buzzing with anticipation to host the champions of Europe.

At VanBudapest.com, our team of football fanatics is already caught up in Champions League fever. We’ve been eagerly following the tournament from the start – even organizing office watch-parties for big matches – and now we can’t wait to see the draw results. This excitement is personal for us, because we’ll be actively involved in helping the final run smoothly here in Budapest. (We’re honored to play a part in welcoming fans and ensuring they have a seamless experience in our city during the final.) The road to the final begins with tonight’s draw, and we’re watching with the same passion as every other supporter around the globe.

Stay Tuned and Get in Touch

We’ll be sure to post an update with the draw results and key takeaways after the ceremony, so stay tuned to our blog for more on who faces who in the league phase. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need assistance – for example, planning your trip to the Budapest final – feel free to reach out to us. We welcome inquiries via private message or email (we prefer email for first contact). You can email us at info@vanbudapest.com, and our team will be happy to help. Enjoy the draw tonight, and let’s get ready for an amazing Champions League season ahead!

UPDATE!

Champions League Draw Update – What Just Happened

The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase draw took place on 28 August 2025 at 18:00 CEST, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Here’s the official breakdown of who’s playing whom, with each team facing two opponents from each of the four seeding pots, one at home and one away:

Select Fixture Highlights

Club	Opponents (Home / Away)
Paris Saint-Germain	Bayern Munich / Barcelona; Atalanta / Tottenham; Sporting CP / Newcastle; Athletic Bilbao
Real Madrid	Manchester City / Liverpool; Benfica / Marseille; Olympiacos / Monaco; Kairat Almaty
Manchester City	Borussia Dortmund / Real Madrid; Villarreal / Napoli; Bodø/Glimt / Galatasaray; Monaco
Bayern Munich	Chelsea / PSG; Arsenal / Sporting CP; PSV Eindhoven / Union SG; Pafos
Monaco	Manchester City / Real Madrid; Club Brugge / Tottenham; Bodø/Glimt / Galatasaray; Pafos
Galatasaray	Liverpool / Manchester City; Atlético / Eintracht; Ajax / Union SG; Monaco
Qarabağ	Chelsea / Liverpool; Benfica / Arsenal; Olympiacos / Sporting CP; Copenhagen
Athletic Bilbao	PSG / Borussia Dortmund; Atalanta / Slavia Prague; Napoli / Newcastle
Newcastle United	Barcelona / PSG; Bayer Leverkusen / PSV; Marseille / Athletic Bilbao; Union SG
Pafos	Bayern Munich / Chelsea; Juventus / Olympiacos; Sporting CP /-Manchester City; Kairat
Kairat Almaty	Real Madrid / Inter Milan; Arsenal / Olympiacos; Galatasaray / Pafos; Copenhagen

This structure creates eight vibrant matchups per team, offering a compelling mix of elite clashes and fresh encounters – all paving the way to the Champions League Final in Budapest on 30 May 2026.