UEFA Champions League League Stage draw: When, how to watch, who could Liverpool and Arsenal’s face?

Manchester City, alongside Europe’s premier clubs, will find out their initial fate in the opening stage of this season’s UEFA Champions League this week.

As holders of the 2022/23 crown and consistent appearances in the latter stages of the knock-outs in Europe’s premier club competition, Pep Guardiola’s side will once again enter Europe’s most prestigious tournament among the favourites to go the distance.

With a new campaign well underway domestically in England, attention now turns to the league phase draw and the pathway that awaits Manchester City in the months ahead, with the hope of going much further than the last campaign.

Having struggled throughout last season’s league phase, City found themselves in a knock-out play-off tie against Real Madrid, in which the Spanish giants ultimately cruised to victory making it the first time since 2012/13 that the Etihad side had failed to reach the last-16.

The 2025/26 season will be the second under UEFA’s revamped format, which has already brought significant change to the way the Champions League unfolds. For City supporters, the draw represents both a chance to assess the challenge ahead and an opportunity to dream of another deep run.

Ahead of the draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase this week, here is everything you need to know!

When is the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase draw?

The league phase draw for the 2025/26 Champions League will be made at 17:00 (UK) on Thursday 28 August.

How does the league phase format work?

The competition will follow the same structure as the 2024/25 season, with all 36 qualified teams placed into a single league table.

Each side will play eight matches against eight different opponents; two clubs from each of the four seeded pots. Four matches will be staged at home and four away, ensuring every team faces a varied schedule.

Once the eight games have been completed, teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated from European competition entirely, while the top eight teams in the table will progress directly to the Round of 16.

Clubs finishing 9th to 24th will enter a play-off round, competing for the remaining last-16 places.

Who has qualified for the UEFA Champions League league phase?

Pot One: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

Pot Two: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge

Pot Three: Tottenham, PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

Pot Four: Copenhagen, AS Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

Key dates for the UEFA Champions League

Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025

Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025

Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025

Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025

Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025

Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025

Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026

Matchday 8: 28 January 2026

How to watch the draw procedure live

The draw for the Champions League’s league phase will be broadcast live via UEFA’s official channels as well as rights holders across Europe, with full coverage in the United Kingdom available through TNT Sports.

For Manchester City fans, live updates and coverage will also be provided across City Xtra’s social platforms, ensuring supporters can follow every development as Pep Guardiola’s side learn their route through the early stages of the competition.

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