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, with the Pot One draw expected to start shortly after 5.30pm.

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 36 clubs have secured their place in the league phase. 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, Benfica

Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Bruges

Turkey: Galatasaray

Czechia: Slavia Prague

Greece: Olympiakos

Kazakhstan: Kairat Almaty

Cyprus: Pafos

Norway: Bodo/Glimt

Azerbaijan: Qarabag

Denmark: Copenhagen

Who can Chelsea play from Pot 1?

We will draw two of the following teams, playing one at home, and one away.

PSG
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
Inter Milan
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona

Man City and Liverpool complete Pot One, but we cannot play them.

Who can Chelsea play from Pot 2?

We will draw two of the following teams, playing one at home, and one away.

Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Benfica
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Club Bruges

Arsenal complete Pot Two, but we cannot play them.

Who can Chelsea play from Pot 3?

We will draw two of the following teams, playing one at home, and one away.

PSV Eindhoven
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting Lisbon
Olympiakos
Slavia Prague
Bodo/Glimt
Marseille

Tottenham complete Pot Three, but we cannot play them.

Who can Chelsea play from Pot 4?

We will draw two of the following teams, playing one at home, and one away.

Copenhagen
Monaco
Galatasaray
Union Saint-Gilloise
Qarabag
Athletic Bilbao
Pafos
Kairat Almaty

Newcastle complete pot four, but we cannot play them.

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.

General admission tickets for Chelsea versus Fulham on Saturday 30 August have already sold out but you can still be at the Bridge by securing a hospitality package. So book your spot now!

And members get more - purchase an Official Chelsea Membership to unlock priority ticket access for our home Champions League matches this season.