Our fourth-place finish in last season’s Premier League means Chelsea are back in the top tier of European football for 2025/26, and we enter the Champions League in the league phase.

The Blues return for the tournament’s 71st season – 34th under its current name – and, after the new format was introduced last year, will compete in the league phase for the first time.

Here is all the information you need on when the league phase fixtures are decided and who the Blues could face in the first round.

When and where is the Champions League draw?

The draw for the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League will take place in Monaco and begins at 5pm UK time on Thursday 28 August.

How can I follow the Champions League draw?

On the Chelsea Official App and Official Chelsea Website, we will bring you the latest on who the Blues will face as soon as it is confirmed. The exact dates of each fixture will be announced once available.

Supporters in the UK can watch the draw live on TNT Sports or the TNT Sports YouTube channel. The draw will also be streamed live globally by UEFA on their official website.

Who can Chelsea play in the league phase?

The 36 teams will be seeded into four pots based on their UEFA ranking, with each side facing two opponents from each pot. The seedings will be confirmed by UEFA at 7.30am on Thursday.

No club can play another from the same country, so Chelsea will not take on another English side, and can only face two from any one other nation. Every team that has qualified for the league phase so far is listed below, with the final four qualifying fixtures taking place on Wednesday evening.

Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise
Cyprus: Pafos
Czechia: Slavia Prague
England: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur
France: Marseille, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain
Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt
Greece: Olympiacos
Italy: Atalanta, Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli
Kazakhstan: Kairat Almaty
Netherlands: Ajax, PSV Eindhoven
Norway: Bodo/Glimt
Portugal: Sporting Lisbon
Spain: Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal
Turkiye: Galatasary
Still in qualifying: Basel (Switzerland), Benfica (Portugal), Club Brugge (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark), Fenerbahce (Turkiye), Ferencvaros (Hungary), Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Ranges (Scotland)

What is the new Champions League format?

Although it is the first time we have competed in the current Champions League format, it will be familiar from Chelsea’s 2024/25 UEFA Conference League campaign.

Following the qualifying rounds, all teams are grouped in a single league table, playing eight matches each to decide who progresses directly to the knockout rounds in the last 16, who takes part in the play-offs, and who is eliminated.

When are the league phase fixtures?

The league phase begins on 16 September and finishes on 28 January, with the full schedule listed below:

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