When is the Champions League Draw and Who Could English Teams Face?

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League draw is only hours away and will reveal the teams Premier League clubs will face in the league phase of the competition.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United will represent England in the Champions League this season.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, and Newcastle qualified through the Premier League route. Spurs booked their place after winning the UEFA Europa League.

Of all the English teams, Liverpool are the most favoured by the bookies to win the competition. The Reds are 13/2 with UK betting sites to become European champions for the seventh time.

When is the Champions League Draw?

The UEFA Champions League draw will take place on Thursday, August 28, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The ceremony is scheduled to commence at 5:00 PM BST / 6:00 PM CET / 12:00 PM ET.

The fate of 36 teams will be decided in the draw, making it a time-consuming affair. Last year, the draw took around 75 minutes to conclude, and we expect a similar run time this time around.

What is the Champions League Format?

UEFA changed the format of the Champions League last year, scrapping the group stage in favour of a league-style showdown. Like last season, a total of 36 teams will participate in the competition.

They have been broken down into four pots of nine teams. Every team will play eight league games against eight different opponents. The top eight teams from the league table will proceed directly to the Round of 16. Teams finishing from 9th to 24th will be in play-offs, with the eight winning teams filling the remaining slots in the Round of 16.

🆕 2025/26 league phase line-up!#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/K7c5CNlmpx

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 27, 2025

The only small but significant change to the regulations this year is the added perk for the top two finishers. The teams to finish first and second, who can only face each other in a potential final, will play the second legs of all knockout rounds at home.

Draw Methodology and Restrictions

A UEFA representative will draw a ball from Pot 1 before the software takes over and selects eight appropriate opponents for each team. Two teams are selected from each of the four pots. Teams from the same league cannot play against one another. And finally, not more than two opponents are picked from the same league.

So, none of the English clubs can face each other in the league stage. They cannot draw more than two teams from the same league, such as LaLiga, Bundesliga, Seria A, etc.

Who Could English Teams Draw in the Champions League

Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle are spread across four pots this season. In Pot 1, we have Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Arsenal are in Pot 2. Europa League winners Tottenham are in Pot 3. And Newcastle United are in Pot 4. UEFA have classified the teams based on their individual coefficient ranking.

By design, all English teams can only draw a fixed set of opponents. The variation will come once the other restrictions come into play. For clarity, here are the teams English clubs can face in the league phase.

Who Could Man City Draw in the Champions League

Man City, who are in Pot 1, cannot face Chelsea and Liverpool in Pot 1, Arsenal in Pot 2, Tottenham in Pot 3, and Newcastle in Pot 4.

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

Who Could Liverpool Draw in the Champions League

Pot 1 side Liverpool cannot draw Chelsea or Man City. Arsenal in Pot 2, Spurs in Pot 3, and Newcastle in Pot 4 are also ineligible.

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

Who Could Chelsea Draw in the Champions League

Likewise, Chelsea cannot draw Man City and Liverpool from Pot 1. They will also not play Arsenal (Pot 2), Tottenham (Pot 3), or Newcastle (Pot 4).

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

The Champions League pots for the league phase draw 🌟 pic.twitter.com/aIm4HDCi27

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 27, 2025

Who Could Arsenal Draw in the Champions League

Arsenal from Pot 2 cannot face Pot 1 teams Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. The same applies to Pot 3’s Tottenham and Pot 4’s Newcastle.

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

Who Could Tottenham Draw in the Champions League

UEFA Europa League winners Tottenham cannot face Man City, Liverpool, and Chelsea from Pot 1, Arsenal from Pot 2, and Newcastle from Pot 4.

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

Who Could Newcastle Draw in the Champions League

Lastly, we have Newcastle United in Pot 4. Like the above, they also cannot draw Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea (Pot 1), Arsenal (Pot 2), and Tottenham (Pot 3). Here are the teams they are eligible to draw.

• From Pot 1: Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona

• From Pot 2: Leverkusen, Atleti, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Club Brugge

• From Pot 3: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille

• From Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabağ, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty

AI Predicts English Teams’ Champions League Opponents

We have put ChatGPT to work, asking it to simulate the Champions League draw. It also adhered to the strict rules UEFA has set for the draw.

Champions League League and Knockout Phase Dates