Let’s tell you When and where can you watch the draw of the Champions League for the 2025/2026 season. The maximum European soccer competition is approaching, and if you follow any of the participating teams, you may be interested in seeing who is paired.
Although the competition does not begin until mid-September, it is this last week of August when the raffle is held. We will also explain the format of the competition, as UEFA changed it last year, along with the draw format.
Champions League Format
Last year, UEFA decided to alter the format of the Champions League, increasing the number of participating teams to a total of 36. This new format eliminated the traditional group stage in favor of an initial league phase and a raffle in which not all teams are selected manually.
The 36 teams that participate will be distributed into four pots, each containing nine teams according to their UEFA coefficient. During the initial phase, each club will face two rivals from each pot, resulting in a total of eight matches—four at home and four as visitors.
The draw itself is somewhat unique. The nine teams from Pot 1 will be manually selected, while a software algorithm will choose the rivals from the other pots. Importantly, teams from Pot 1 cannot face another team from their own country and can only meet a maximum of two teams from the same nation.
During this league phase, the eight teams with the highest points will advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will engage in a two-leg playoff. All other teams will unfortunately be eliminated. Another critical factor is that the top two teams from the league phase cannot be drawn against each other again.
When Is the Draw and Where Can You See It
The league phase draw for the Champions League of the 2025/26 season will occur on Thursday, August 28, this week. The event will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, starting at 18:00 local time.
Unfortunately, this draw will not be shown on open television. It will be streamed on Movistar Plus+, the network that holds the broadcasting rights for the Champions League. Therefore, viewers can only watch it if they have subscribed to this streaming service or are customers of the telecommunications operator.
Teams Participating in the Draw
A total of 29 teams have automatically qualified for this draw, along with seven teams that progressed through the playoff rounds. Here are the teams classified for the different pots:
- England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle.
- Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club, Villarreal.
- Italy: Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Juventus.
- Germany: Bayern München, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund.
- France: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Monaco.
- Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax.
- Portugal: Sporting CP.
- Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise.
- Turkey: Galatasaray.
- Czech Republic: Slavia Prague.
- Greece: Olympiacos.
In addition to these, we will include the winners of the playoffs, which will be determined during the week. After the draw takes place, the schedule for the Champions League phase matches will be organized, with the first set of matches to be played between September 16 and 18, and the last matches taking place on January 28.
With the changes in the Champions League format, soccer fans are eagerly anticipating which teams will face off in this prestigious tournament. The excitement around the draw is palpable, setting the stage for what promises to be another thrilling season in European football.