The next Champions League draw & where to watch
The next Champions League draw is for the playoff round of qualifiers, which is the final stage of the qualifying process ahead of the main league phase. However, the third qualifying round is yet to take place and will not be completed until August 13th.
The next draw will be held on Monday, August 4th, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. You can watch the draw on UEFA.com.
Seedings, any groupings and the procedure will be available on UEFA.com from 08:30 CET on the day of the draw.
The following sides have already qualified for the 25/26 Champions League (in alphabetical order):
Ajax (NED), Arsenal (ENG), Atalanta (ITA), Athletic Club (ESP), Atletico Madrid (ESP), Barcelona (ESP), Bayer Leverkusen (GER), Bayern Munich (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Chelsea (ENG), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), Galatasaray (TUR), Inter Milan (ITA), Juventus (ITA), Liverpool (ENG), Manchester City (ENG), Marseille (FRA), Monaco (FRA), Napoli (ITA), Newcastle (ENG), Olympiacos (GRE), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Real Madrid (ESP), Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL), Slavia Prague (CZE), Sporting CP (POR), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Villarreal (ESP)
Joining the listed 29 sides will be the seven winners of the playoff round of qualifiers. As mentioned, the third qualifying round has yet to take place and precedes the final playoff round.
Follow the rest of the 25/26 Champions League qualifiers with Flashscore.
Key dates for the 25/26 UEFA Champions League
Draw for the playoff round: August 4th
Third qualifying round: August 5th and 6th (first legs), August 12th and 13th (second legs)
Playoff round: August 19th and 20th (first legs), August 26th and 27th (second legs)
Draw for League Phase fixtures: August 28th
League Phase first matchday: September 16th-18th
League Phase last matchday: January 28th, 2026
Draw for knockout playoffs: January 30th
Knockout playoffs: February 17th and 18th (first legs), February 24th and 25th (second legs)
Final draw (for round of 16 and beyond): February 27th, 2026
Round of 16: March 10th and 11th (first legs), March 17th and 18th (second legs)
Quarter-finals: April 7th and 8th (first legs), April 14th and 15th (second legs)
Semi-finals: April 28th and 29th (first legs), May 5th and 6th (second legs)
Final: May 30th
When & where is the 25/26 Champions League final
The Champions League final will take place on May 30th, 2026, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. The stadium is an all-seater with a capacity of 67,215. It is the first time the final will be staged in Hungary.
UEFA Champions League format explained
Ahead of last season’s competition, there was a big overhaul of UEFA’s premier competition, and indeed all of the continental cups in Europe. Gone are the days of the 32-team group phase with pools – a 36-team league phase has replaced that format.
This season, just like last, each of the 36 teams plays eight games. The top eight at the end of the league phase automatically qualify for the round of 16, while the bottom eight are eliminated and do not drop down to the Europa League.
Meanwhile, the teams that finished between ninth and 24th go into the knockout playoff round to decide which further eight will complete the round of 16. The final draw for the knockout stages takes place after the knockout playoff round.
The round of 16 sees the top eight (seeded) teams drawn against the other (unseeded) teams. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final follow as per typical cup competitions.
Follow the 25/26 Champions League with Flashscore.
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