Paris Saint-Germain enters the 2026-27 Champions League chasing something only one other club has managed since the competition’s rebrand, a third consecutive title. Luis Enrique’s side beat Arsenal on penalties in last season’s final in Budapest after a lopsided 5-0 win over Inter Milan in 2025, and now faces 35 other clubs looking to end that run. Qualifying matches are already underway ahead of the tournament’s opening matchday in September.
When the draw happens
The league phase draw for 2026-27 is set for Thursday, August 27, at 5 p.m. British time, held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. As in previous years, the draw is expected to stream live on UEFA’s official website and YouTube channel.
Who has already qualified
Most of the 36 league phase spots were locked in through domestic league finishes from the 2025-26 season, with the final six places to be decided through playoffs in August. England leads the way with six Premier League clubs, followed by Spain with five and Germany, Italy and France with four apiece.
The field includes several clubs returning after time away, including Manchester United, Europa League champion Aston Villa, Roma, Real Betis, Lille and Shakhtar Donetsk, alongside Como, which is competing in the competition for the first time. Confirmed qualifiers so far include Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Real Betis, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Inter, Roma, Como, Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague, Porto, Club Brugge and Shakhtar Donetsk.
How the format works
Each of the 36 clubs will play eight league phase matches, split across four seeding pots, facing two teams from each pot with one home fixture and one away fixture per opponent. Once those matches wrap up, the top eight finishers advance automatically to the last 16, while the clubs finishing ninth through 24th enter a two-legged playoff round for a chance to join them. From that playoff round forward, the competition shifts into a standard single elimination knockout format.
Key dates to watch
The league phase begins a week earlier than last season, with Matchday 1 running September 8 to 10. A monthlong gap follows before Matchday 2 due to an extended international break, after which the schedule settles into a steadier rhythm through eight total gameweeks. The phase wraps up with Matchday 8 on January 27, 2027, setting the stage for the knockout rounds that follow.
Where the final will be played
The 2026-27 final is set for June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, marking the venue’s second time hosting the match. Its first Champions League final came in 2019, when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all Premier League matchup remembered as a low key finish to an otherwise dramatic campaign.
