Chelsea return to Europe’s top table in 2025/26 and we will soon discover which eight teams we will play in the league phase of the Champions League. Here we detail when the draw is and how it works, who the Blues can get, and why it will be different to our previous experiences in the competition.
Chelsea are bidding for glory in Europe’s premier club competition for the third time, and our path to Budapest will become a little clearer when the league phase draw is made.
When is the Champions League draw?
The draw takes place in Monaco on Thursday 28 August. It starts at 5pm UK time.
How can I watch the draw?
The UEFA website will be streaming the draw live around the world, while viewers in the UK can watch it on TNT Sports.
How does the Champions League draw work?
The Champions League format has changed since Chelsea were last in the competition in 2022/23, with four fixtures at home and four away against a total of eight different opponents.
There are 36 teams in the league phase and they will be split into four pots based on their individual coefficient ranking.
Starting with Pot 1, one physical ball will be drawn before the automated software draws eight opponents for them, taking into account the following principles:
Two teams from each of the four pots, with one home and one away match against teams from each pot drawn by the software.
No teams from the same association drawn against each other.
No more than two opponents from the same association.
The same procedure will be repeated for all other teams until all pairings have been drawn.
Who can Chelsea draw in the Champions League?
The following 29 clubs have secured their place in the league phase, with seven more play-off round winners to be added. Remember, we cannot play against another English team in the league phase.
England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle
Italy: Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal
Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Monaco
Netherlands: PSV, Ajax
Portugal: Sporting Lisbon
Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise
Turkey: Galatasaray
Czechia: Slavia Prague
Greece: Olympiakos
The seven remaining teams will be play-off winners from the following ties. The first leg score is in brackets, with the second listed team at home in the second leg.
Ferencvaros/Qarabag (1-3), Rangers/Club Bruges (1-3), Red Star Belgrade/Pafos (1-2), Basel/Copenhagen (1-1), Bodo/Glimt/Sturm Graz (5-0), Celtic/Kairat (0-0), Fenerbahce/Benfica (0-0)
When are the Champions League matchdays?
Matchday 1: 16-18 September 2025
Matchday 2: 30 September/1 October 2025
Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025
Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025
Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025
Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025
Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026
Matchday 8: 28 January 2026
The UEFA Champions League fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be communicated no later than Saturday 30 August.