With the qualifying rounds for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League nearly complete, the league phase is just around the corner. Paris Saint-Germain will begin their quest for a stunning three-peat, while Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are among the teams aiming to dethrone the French champions.
But before Europe's top club competition can begin its first main round, a draw must take place to determine the matchups for the entire phase.
Who is taking part in this draw, and how will it all go down? Here's everything you need to know about the first big event on the Champions League calendar.
When is the draw for the league phase?
The draw for the league phase will take place Thursday, Aug. 27, at noon ET (5 p.m. BST) at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Which clubs are in the draw?
There will be 36 teams taking part. We know the identities of 29 of those teams: those who qualified automatically, listed below.
England: Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool Italy: Internazionale, Napoli, AS Roma, Como Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord Portugal: Porto, Sporting CP Belgium: Club Brugge Czechia: Slavia Prague Turkiye: Galatasaray Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
The remaining seven teams were determined via the qualifying rounds, which concluded Tuesday and Wednesday.
For the draw, the teams are divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients (a measure of their performance in European competitions over the past five seasons). PSG, as last season's winners, automatically earned a place in Pot 1.
Once the qualifying rounds complete on Wednesday night, we'll add a graphic showing all 36 teams divided into their respective pots.