With the 2025–26 football season rapidly approaching, excitement is building for the return of Europe’s premier club competition, the UEFA Champions League. The qualification rounds are already underway, and the full 36-team lineup for the league phase will soon be finalized.
The most anticipated date for fans is the official draw for the Champions League league phase, which will take place on Thursday, August 28, 2025. On this day, the 36 qualified teams will discover their eight opponents for the initial stage of the tournament.
The competition will continue with the revamped “league phase” format that was introduced last season. All 36 teams will be placed into one of four seeded pots. Each club will then be drawn to play eight matches against two different opponents from each pot—four games at home and four away.
At the conclusion of the league phase, the top eight teams in the overall standings will automatically qualify for the round of 16. Teams that finish from 9th to 24th place will enter a two-legged play-off round to determine the other eight qualifiers. Any team finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated from all European competition.
As it stands, 29 of the 36 spots in the league phase have been confirmed, with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain among the top seeds. England will have a record six clubs in the competition, including Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur.
The action will kick off shortly after the draw. The first round of league phase fixtures (Matchday 1) is scheduled for September 16-18, 2025, marking the official start of another thrilling journey to crown the champions of Europe.