29 clubs have already secured their places in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/27 season. Among them are Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, whose qualification means Ukraine will once again be represented in Europe's premier club competition.

The competition format remains unchanged. A total of 36 teams will play eight matches each and compete in a single league table. The top 24 sides will advance to the knockout stage. The teams finishing from first to eighth will go straight through to the last 16, while those placed 9th to 24th will enter the knockout play-off round for a chance to join them.

For the league-phase draw, all 36 clubs will be split into four seeding pots. A computerised draw will then assign each team eight opponents, with two selected from each pot.

2026/27 Champions League

Pot 1

Bayern Munich (Germany)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Liverpool (England)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Manchester City (England)
Arsenal (England)
Barcelona (Spain)
Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Pot 2

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Roma (Italy)
Sporting CP (Portugal)
Aston Villa (England)
Porto (Portugal)
Manchester United (England)
Club Brugge (Belgium)
Real Betis (Spain)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Pot 3

Feyenoord (Netherlands)
Lille (France)
Napoli (Italy)
RB Leipzig (Germany)
Villarreal (Spain)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Galatasaray (Turkey)

Pot 4

Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
Como (Italy)
Lens (France)

Note: In borderline cases, the seeding of individual clubs may still change. The final composition of the four pots will only be confirmed once the 2026/27 Champions League qualifying rounds have been completed.