Champions League Draw 2025-26: Pots Defined and New Format

Ready for the Champions League draw!

After the exciting playoff round, the pots for the UEFA Champions League draw were defined. This crucial event will take place this Thursday and will mark the beginning of a new season full of expectations and football passion. This will be the second draw under the new format, which implements a single ranking table for the 36 participating teams. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. (UK time) / noon (Eastern time), with the first matches scheduled for September 16-18. UEFA plans to publish the complete match schedule on Saturday. The league phase will extend until January, culminating on January 28, with the 18 matches of the final matchday being played simultaneously. Instead of the traditional group stage, the draw will determine eight matchups for each club. Each team will play two matches (one home and one away) against rivals from each of the four pots. An important novelty is that, as there are no groups, there is no advantage to being in pot 1. In previous seasons, being in this pot allowed avoiding the strongest teams in the tournament.

Previously, pot 1 housed the Champions League and Europa League champions, as well as the champions of the six most important domestic leagues. Pots 2 to 4 were organized according to the UEFA club coefficient, which evaluates the European performance of clubs in the last five seasons. Now, only the Champions League champion will automatically be in pot 1, and the other positions will be determined by the UEFA club coefficient.

Contents

Ready for the Champions League draw!Draw Drums for the Raffle

However, the six non-English teams in pot 1 of the Champions League draw will have to face two Premier League clubs. This restriction is due to the rule that prevents teams from the same country from facing each other in the league phase. The final of this season will be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30th.