Champions League draw: Where to watch, live stream, time as Real Madrid, Barca, Liverpool await schedules

The 36-team field is set for the edition of the UEFA Champions League season, with a series of newcomers who join regional heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid After a dramatic qualifying trip.

Three teams booked their berths in the competition phase on Tuesday when the second stage of the play-off round started, each of them reached the competition for the first time in their history. Some matches were more dramatic than other bodo/shines from Norway, the Sturm Graz of Austria beat 6-2 on aggregated after a 5-0 first leg at home, while Cyprus’ Paphos and Kazakhstan’s Kairat achieved their Champions League spots with heroic deeds in the second stage. Pafos took a 3-2 aggregated lead over Crvena Zvezda thanks to an 89th minute goal from Jaja, while Kairat drifted Celtic On penalties after a 0-0 aggregated score, goalkeeper Turnlan Anarbekov Make three saves during the shootout.

On Wednesday, the round of 16 participants Benfica and Club Brugge took care of their places in the competition phase, just like Qarabag and Copenhagen. Bruges collected a remarkable 9-1 aggregated victory over Rangers, while Copenhagen created a considerable distance between them and Basel with a 3-1 aggregated victory. The victory margin was slimmer for Benfica, who scored the only goal of a draw against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the first half on Wednesday, while Qarabag Ferencvaros defeated 5-4.

The 36 teams that will form the participants in the League phase will then discover their way to the Puskas Arena of the Budapest during Thursday’s draw.

How you can see the Champions League pull

Champions League qualified teams

• Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
• Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Club Bruggge
• Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Tottenham Hotspur, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
• Pot 4: Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos, Karat, Qarabag, Copenhagen

Play-off round final scores

• Kairat 0, Celtic 0 (teams bound 0-0 on aggregated; Kairat wins 3-2 on penalties)
• Paphos 1, Red Star 1 (Pafos wins 3-2 on aggregated)
• Sturm Graz 2, they will/shines 1 (she will/will win 6-2 on aggregated)
• Arabic 2, Frerencvaros 3 (Stroe Winter 5-4 on regression)
• Club Brugge 6, Rangers 0 (Club Brugge Win 9-1 on aggregated)
• Benfica 1, Fenerbahce 0 (Benfica Win with 1-0 on aggregated)
• Copenhagen 2, Basel 0 (Copenhagen Win 3-1 on aggregated)

How the Champions League drawing works

This will be the second season after UEFA has changed the Champions League format, with a competition phase that replaces the group phase. During Thursday’s draw, 36 teams are assigned eight different opponents during the competition phase, two of each pot. The teams are also assigned four home games and four road games during the draw. The competition no longer follows a Round-Robin format, so that each team has its own unique schemes during the competition phase.

As soon as the game starts, teams are arranged in one table. The top eight teams go directly to the round of 16, while on the ninth to the 24th, they are confronted in the play -offs of the knocking outphase before they reach the last 16. You can refresh the new Champions League format here.

League phase schedule

• MatchDay 1: September 16-18
• MatchDay 2: September 30-October. 1
• MatchDay 3: 21-22 October
• MatchDay 4: 4-5 November
• MatchDay 5: 25-26 November
• MatchDay 6: December 9-10
• MatchDay 7: 20-21 January, 2026
• MatchDay 8: January 28, 2026