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Europe’s club season stops guessing tomorrow. The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday 27 August, with the Europa League and Conference League draws following the next afternoon. Three ceremonies, 108 clubs, and the moment every set of supporters finds out exactly what the autumn looks like.
Champions League Draw Time: When the Monaco Ceremony Starts
The Champions League league phase draw begins at 18:00 CET on Thursday 27 August — that’s 17:00 BST for viewers in the UK and Ireland.
The other two competitions are bundled into a single session the following day. The Europa League and Conference League league phase draws both start from 13:00 CET on Friday 28 August.
- Champions League draw: Thursday 27 August, 18:00 CET / 17:00 BST
- Europa League draw: Friday 28 August, from 13:00 CET
- Conference League draw: Friday 28 August, from 13:00 CET
- Venue: Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Where to Watch the Champions League Draw Live and Free
The simplest answer: you don’t need a subscription. All three draws stream live and free on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv, wherever you are.
Broadcast partners in individual markets will also carry coverage of the Champions League ceremony. Here’s where to find it:
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Stan Sport |
| Belgium | RTL/VTM, Proximus, Play Sports |
| Brazil | TNT Sports, SBT |
| Canada | DAZN |
| China | iQIYI |
| Denmark | Viaplay |
| France | Canal+, M6 |
| Germany | DAZN, Prime Video, ZDF |
| India / Indian subcontinent | Sony Sports Network |
| Ireland | RTÉ, Premier Sports, Virgin Media, TNT Sports, Prime Video |
| Italy | Sky Sport, Prime Video |
| Japan | WOWOW |
| Mexico | Fox, TNT Sports |
| Netherlands | Ziggo Sport |
| Poland | TVP, Canal+ |
| Portugal | DAZN, Sport TV, LiveModeTV |
| Russia | Okko |
| South Korea | SPOTV |
| Spain | Movistar Plus+ |
| Turkey | TRT |
| Ukraine | MEGOGO |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports, Prime Video, BBC |
| United States | CBS Sports, TelevisaUnivision, DAZN |
Which Teams Are in the 2026/27 Champions League Draw
Thirty-six clubs go into each of the three draws, but they arrive by very different routes.
The Champions League field is made up of the 29 automatic qualifiers plus the seven play-off round winners who came through August’s two-legged ties. Those 36 will be drawn from four pots.
The Europa League pool is the most convoluted of the three:
- 13 automatic qualifiers
- 12 play-off round winners
- 4 teams transferring across from the Champions League third qualifying round (league path)
- 7 clubs beaten in the Champions League play-offs
The Conference League draw takes the 24 play-off round winners and adds the 12 sides defeated in the Europa League play-offs — a reminder that in the current European structure, losing a tie rarely means the end of the road until the league phase table says so.
How the 36-Team League Phase Draw Works
Since 2024/25, all three competitions have run a single 36-team league phase rather than the old group stage. The number of opponents is the only structural difference between them.
Champions League and Europa League clubs are drawn against eight different opponents — four at home, four away. Conference League clubs face six: three at home, three away. Nobody plays the same team twice.
The table then does the sorting:
| League phase finish | What happens next |
|---|---|
| 1st–8th | Direct passage to the round of 16 |
| 9th–24th | Knockout phase play-offs, winners advance to the last 16 |
| 25th or lower | Eliminated from Europe entirely |
That final line matters. There is no parachute into another competition — finish 25th or below in any of the three tournaments and your European season is over. From the round of 16 onwards, it’s straight knockout football.
When the 2026/27 Champions League Fixtures Are Confirmed
The draw gives you the opponents. The calendar takes another day or two.
Champions League fixtures, complete with match dates and kick-off times, will be published no later than Saturday 29 August. The Europa League and Conference League schedules follow no later than Sunday 30 August. UEFA will flag each release across its social channels shortly beforehand, so there’s a warning shot before the fixture lists land.
2026/27 Champions League Key Dates: Matchdays, Knockouts and Final
This is the 72nd season of Europe’s premier club competition, its 35th under the Champions League name and the third run under the league phase format. It began on 7 July 2026 and runs all the way to June.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 8–10 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 13/14 October 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | 20/21 October 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | 3/4 November 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | 24/25 November 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | 8/9 December 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | 19/20 January 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | 27 January 2027 |
| Knockout phase play-offs | 16/17 & 23/24 February 2027 |
| Round of 16 | 9/10 & 16/17 March 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | 6/7 & 13/14 April 2027 |
| Semi-finals | 27/28 April & 4/5 May 2027 |
| Final | 5 June 2027 |
Note the compression at the top of the year: Matchday 7 and Matchday 8 fall barely a week apart in January, with the eighth round played on a single date — the simultaneous finish that decides the entire 36-team table in one night. All dates remain subject to change.
Qualifying, for reference, ran across four rounds: first qualifying round on 7/8 and 14/15 July, second on 21/22 and 28/29 July, third on 4/5 and 11 August, and the play-offs on 18/19 and 25/26 August.
What the 2026/27 Champions League Winners Get
The trophy first: 73.5cm tall, 7.5kg heavy, and the most recognisable piece of silverware in club football.
Beyond that, the winners bank a place in the 2027/28 Champions League league phase even if their domestic campaign doesn’t deliver one. They’ll also open the following season against the 2026/27 Europa League winners in the UEFA Super Cup in August 2027.
Champions League Draw 2026/27 FAQ
What time is the Champions League draw?
18:00 CET (17:00 BST) on Thursday 27 August 2026, live from the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Can I watch the Champions League draw for free?
Yes. All three league phase draws stream free on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv, alongside coverage from national broadcasters including TNT Sports and the BBC in the UK, CBS Sports in the US and DAZN in Canada.
How many teams are in the Champions League league phase?
36, drawn from four pots — 29 automatic qualifiers and seven play-off round winners.
How many opponents does each club face?
Eight in the Champions League and Europa League, six in the Conference League, with an even home-and-away split in both cases.
When do the Champions League fixtures come out?
No later than Saturday 29 August 2026. Europa League and Conference League fixture lists follow by Sunday 30 August.
When does the 2026/27 Champions League start?
Matchday 1 runs from 8–10 September 2026.
What Happens After the Pots Empty
Draw day is the point where the season stops being theoretical. Every projection, every outright price and every “we’ve got a good route” argument gets tested against an actual set of eight fixtures — and the gap between a kind draw and a brutal one has only widened under the league phase, where a single bad night in January can be the difference between a direct round of 16 place and a February play-off. For odds movement and matchday analysis once the fixtures drop, Tips.gg is the place to check.
By Sunday, all three competitions will have their full calendars locked in, and Europe’s clubs will know precisely what stands between them and Madrid on 5 June 2027. Between now and then: eight matchdays, a knockout gauntlet, and 36 teams per competition discovering which side of 24th they belong on.