When is the 2025/26 Champions League draw & everything you need to know

The 2025/26 Champions League group stage draw is scheduled for August 28, 2025. Here is the timing, venue, and everything you need to know about the event.

When will the 2025/26 Champions League group stage draw take place?

According to the schedule released by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the group stage draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season will be held on August 28, 2025 (Vietnam time), one day after the play-off round concludes and the final 36 qualified teams are confirmed.

• Event:2025/26 Champions League group stage draw.
• Date: August 28, 2025.
• Live broadcast: UEFA official website.

Format of the 2025/26 Champions League group stage draw

• Draw rules

The 36 teams are divided into 4 seeded pots based on their UEFA club rankings. The defending champions PSG are automatically placed in Pot 1. Each team will be drawn to face 2 opponents from each seeded pot, with the condition that they cannot face teams from the same country, and a team can only meet up to 2 clubs from the same nation. Each matchup includes one home and one away game, meaning each team will play 8 matches (4 home and 4 away).

During the draw ceremony, organizers will pick one team, then a computer will instantly calculate and randomly assign 8 opponents. This process continues until all pairings are finalized.

This format and draw procedure were introduced for the first time in the previous season (2024/25).

Important information

• The higher a team's UEFA ranking points, the higher their seed position will be.
• At the end of the group stage matches, the top 8 teams qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a home-and-away play-off, with the 8 winners advancing to the round of 16.
• From the round of 16 onwards, the format remains unchanged.
• The top 8 teams in the group stage qualify directly for the round of 16 and are placed in Pot 1 during the draw.
• To increase the number of teams to 36 and implement the computer-assisted draw method, UEFA organizers spent 6 years developing the plan and competition structure.
• UEFA also invested thousands of hours testing new formats for the 36-team setup, using simulations to find the best possible outcome.
• A mathematician was tasked with simulating the new format over the past three seasons, then comparing results such as the number of 'dead rubber' matches, average goals scored, average goal difference per match, and win ratios to assess improvements.
• Expanding to 36 teams allows more clubs to participate in the tournament.
• UEFA could not use the old draw method for 36 teams because it would require nearly 1,000 balls, at least 36 pots, and would take several hours.