THE best teams in Europe are set to go head-to-head once again as the Champions League returns for another thrilling season.
PSG are the current kings of the continent after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Munich final last term.
The French giants are among the favourites for the trophy once again, as are Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Six Premier League teams have earned the right to mix it with the big boys in the Champions League this season.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Europa League winners Tottenham will all be in the draw for the league phase.
The Gunners went the furthest of the English sides competing in Europe’s elite club competition last term.
Mikel Arteta’s men reached the semi-finals, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners PSG.
English sides will be looking to stop the rot after failing to make an appearance in the Champions League final in back-to-back seasons.
First up is the league phase, and SunSport brings you the all-important details ahead of the draw.
When is the Champions League draw?
- The draw for the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League will take place on Thursday, August 28.
- The show will begin at 5pm BST.
- Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum will stage the draw.
How to watch the Champions League draw FREE
- The Champions League draw will be broadcast live on Uefa.com.
- TNT Sports 1 will also air the draw on regular TV.
- The broadcaster will also provide a FREE live stream via the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
- Alternatively, you can discover all the confirmed ties by following SunSport’s live blog of the draw.
How does the Champions League league phase draw work?
Like last year, the league phase has 36 teams from across Europe competing, with each side handed eight games.
The 36 clubs are split into four pots based on their Uefa coefficient, with the opponents generated by automated software.
Starting with Pot 1, one physical ball will be drawn before the automated software randomly draws two opponents from each pot, one home and one away.
Teams cannot face more than two opponents from the same country and are not permitted to face other sides from the same association as theirs.
The top eight teams in the final table will automatically go through to the last 16.
They will then be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides who were placed ninth to 24th in the table.
Champions League draw pots
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Man 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, PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat.
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