Champions League draw LIVE: Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Man City to learn opponents | OneFootball

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The Champions League 2026/27 is back with the draw for the league phase here and the Premier League’s contingent of five teams set to learn their opponents.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool are involved, but there will be no Celtic after the Scottish champions were thrashed by LASK in their play-off second leg to go out on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta will be desperate for another shot at European glory, following the agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last term, with success in Europe the natural next step after claiming the Premier League title.

PSG will be determined to create history and secure a third successive title, too, with Luis Enrique overseeing one of the great modern teams.

Uefa Champions League 26/27 league phase draw

Four newcomers

Thirty-two of the clubs have been here before but this is new ground for Como, Lask, Sabah and Viking.

The Serie A side, coached by Cesc Fabregas, could be among the most interesting sides considering their rapid ascent. And it will be a rather nice away trip should any Premier League club be drawn against them too.

Alan Smith27 August 2026 16:40

How dates and times are decided

There are, however, further layers of complexity to contend with - teams can’t play more than two consecutive home or away fixtures; there are security factors to consider around cities with more than one club.

Or as Uefa wordily put it: “In accordance with Paragraph 23.01 (b) of the competition regulations, the UEFA administration decides which matches are played on Tuesday, which on Wednesday and which on Thursday (MD1 only), as well as the kick-off times.

“Furthermore, as per Paragraph 17.02 of the above-mentioned regulations a club, in principle, does not play more than two home or two away matches in a row, and each club plays one home match and one away match in the first two matchdays and the last two matchdays.

“If need be, however, the UEFA administration may derogate from these rules.”

When is the draw and how can I watch it?

The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase draw starts at 5pm BST (12pm ET) today, Thursday August 27.

The draw will arrange the eight matches each team contests in the 36-team first phase – facing two teams from pots one, two, three and four. Half of the matches will be at home, the other half away.

Where can I watch the Champions League draw?

The draw will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the United Kingdom, the joint host broadcasters in the UK of the Champions League alongside Prime Video.