2025-26 Champions League Phase Draw Fixtures and Tickets
By Anna Italia
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The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League – League Phase Draw is on Thursday 28 August 2025 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo. The draw will start at (18:00 CEST). Primarily, it will feature all 36 participating teams, including major clubs like PSG, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Importantly, the draw will be live on various platforms, including UEFA.tv and YouTube in Europe, and CBS Sports in the U.S.
There are 4 Italian Serie A teams participating: Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, and Juventus.
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Here are the opponents of the Italian teams in the UEFA Champions League Phase:
INTER MILAN is set to compete against Liverpool (home), Borussia Dortmund (away), Arsenal (home), Atletico Madrid (away), Slavia Prague (home), Ajax (away), Kairat Almaty (home), and Union SG (away).
ATALANTA will encounter Chelsea, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, and Athletic Bilbao at home, while facing PSG, Frankfurt, Marseille, and Union SG away.
JUVENTUS will take on Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Sporting, and Paphos at the Allianz Stadium, and will face Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, and Pogba’s Monaco in away matches.
NAPOLI will play against Chelsea, Frankfurt, Sporting, and Qarabag at the Maradona, and will travel away to face Manchester City (Kevin De Bruyne’s return), Benfica, PSV (Lang’s return), and Copenhagen.
🏆 The 36 contenders for the UEFA Champions League Phase are categorized into four pots.
✅ 2025/26 league phase teams: Full access list
2024/25 UEFA Champions League winners (1): Paris Saint-Germain*.2024/25 UEFA Europa League winners (1): Tottenham.
🏴 England (4): Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea.
🇮🇹 Italy (4): Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Juventus.
🇪🇸 Spain (4): Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club.
🇩🇪 Germany (4): Bayern München, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund.
🇫🇷 France (3): Paris Saint-Germain*, Marseille, Monaco.
🇳🇱 Netherlands (2): PSV, Ajax.
🇵🇹 Portugal (1): Sporting CP.
🇧🇪 Belgium (1): Union Saint-Gilloise.
🇹🇷 Türkiye (1): Galatasaray.
🇨🇿 Czechia (1): Slavia Praha.
>Champions League winner rebalancing (1): Olympiacos*
European Performance Spots (2): Newcastle United, Villarreal
Qualifying rounds – champions path (5): Bodø/Glimt, Copenhagen, Kairat Almaty, Pafos, Qarabağ
Qualifying rounds – league path (2): Benfica, Club Brugge
*Olympiacos earned a league phase spot as UEFA Champions League winners Paris had already qualified via their domestic league position.
✅ What is the procedure for conducting the draw for the league phase?
The 36 teams participating will be into four pots according to their respective coefficient rankings. Certainly, the titleholder of the Champions League being the top seed in Pot 1.
Beginning with Pot 1, a single physical ball will be drawn, after which the automated software, previously employed last year, will select eight opponents for them. That is adhering to the following guidelines:
- Two teams from each of the four pots will be drawn, with one home and one away match against teams from each pot selected by the software.
- No teams from the same association will be drawn against one another.
- No more than two opponents from the same association will be allowed.
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Photo via x.com/ChampionsLeague
✅ When are this season’s Champions League matches?
League phase
First Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025.
Second Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025.
Third Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025.
Fourth Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025.
Fifth Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025.
Sixth Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025.
Seventh Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026.
Eighth Matchday 8: 28 January 2026.
✅ Knockout phase
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026.
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026.
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026.
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026.
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest).
