Excitement Builds for UEFA Champions League Draw as Teams Prepare for Battle

Excitement Builds for UEFA Champions League Draw as Teams Prepare for Battle

The stage is nearly set for this season's UEFA Champions League, with the league phase draw scheduled for Thursday, August 27, at 12 p.m. ET in the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco. This draw will finalize the lineup for the 36 teams competing in the league phase as they vie for a spot in the knockout rounds, culminating in the final on June 5 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. As the final qualification round concludes, a mix of familiar faces and newcomers will each play eight games to prove their worth. Notable favorites include: Paris Saint-Germain, the back-to-back champions Arsenal, last season's finalists Other heavyweights like Bayern Munich and Barcelona Manchester United, returning after a two-season absence Como, a standout newcomer in the competition How to Watch the Draw: Date: Thursday, August 27 Time: 12 p.m. ET Location: Grimaldi Forum, Monaco TV/Live Stream: CBS Sports Golazo Network Playoff Round Matches (All times U.S./Eastern): Tuesday, August 25: - Sabah vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva at 12:45 p.m. - Bodo/Glimt vs. NEC Nijmegen at 3 p.m. - LASK vs. Celtic at 3 p.m. Wednesday, August 26: - AEK Athens vs. Levski Sofia at 3 p.m. - Lyon vs. Fenerbahce at 3 p.m. - Viking vs. Dinamo Zagreb at 3 p.m. - Celje vs. Slovan Bratislava at 3 p.m. The draw process will see 38 teams divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients. The reigning champions are always placed in pot 1. As teams are drawn, they will face two opponents from each pot, playing a total of four home and four away matches. The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked nine through 24 will compete in knockout phase playoffs.

Source: CBS Sports - 2026-08-25