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Champions League, Europa League and Conference League draws: Key details for 2026/27 season
27th August, 2026 06:38 AM
The draws for the league phases of UEFA’s three major men’s club competitions will take place on Thursday, August 27 and Friday, August 28, 2026, with clubs set to discover their opponents for the opening stage of the 2026/27 campaign.
The ceremonies will be staged at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the Champions League draw coming first before the Europa League and Conference League draws follow the next day.
Which clubs will be involved?
Each competition will have 36 teams participating in its league-phase draw.
The Champions League field consists of 29 clubs that qualified automatically, together with seven teams that come through the play-off round.
The Europa League draw will feature 13 automatic qualifiers and 12 play-off winners. Four clubs eliminated in the Champions League third qualifying round through the league path will also enter, alongside the seven teams beaten in the Champions League play-offs.
Meanwhile, the Conference League will comprise 24 winners from its play-off round and 12 clubs that lose in the Europa League play-offs.
Following the draws, Champions League and Europa League clubs will each face eight different opponents during the league phase. Conference League participants will be paired with six opponents.
How can fans watch the draws?
Supporters around the world will be able to follow all three ceremonies live and free through UEFA’s official digital platforms, including UEFA.com and UEFA.tv.
What happens once the draws are complete?
The Champions League fixture schedule, including the dates and kick-off times for individual matches, is expected to be released by Saturday, August 29.
The corresponding Europa League and Conference League schedules will follow by Sunday, August 30.
UEFA is expected to issue announcements through its social media channels shortly before the respective fixture lists are published.
How does the league-phase format work?
The current 36-team league-phase system has been used across UEFA’s three men’s club competitions since the 2024/25 season.
In the Champions League and Europa League, every club plays eight matches against eight separate opponents. Each team has four home fixtures and four away games.
The Conference League follows a slightly shorter schedule, with every club playing six different opponents, three at home and three away.
At the end of the league phase, the eight highest-ranked teams in each competition automatically qualify for the round of 16.
Clubs finishing between ninth and 24th place must go through the knockout phase play-offs. Those that win their respective play-off ties then advance to the last 16.
From the round of 16 onwards, the competitions follow a traditional knockout format.
Teams that end the league phase in 25th position or below are knocked out of European competition altogether. Unlike the previous system, they will not drop into another UEFA club competition.
When will the matches be played?
The complete match calendars for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League will be released following their respective league-phase draws.
The 2026/27 season will therefore see clubs across Europe begin mapping out their campaigns once the draws reveal their opponents and the subsequent fixture lists confirm when and where the matches will be played.
