Champions League 2025/26 draw in Monte Carlo: pots and new rules | OneFootball

The countdown has begun: on August 28 at 6:00 PM, in Monte Carlo, the draw for the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League will take place.

Champions League 2025/26, draw in Monte Carlo: here are the pots, rules, and new features for the Europa and Conference League

The ceremony will be held at the Grimaldi Forum and will follow the same procedure introduced last year, based on a digital system that ensures speed and transparency.

The draw mechanism

The 36 participating teams will be divided into four pots, determined by each club’s UEFA coefficient. The reigning champions will automatically be placed in the first pot, along with the highest-ranked teams.

The software will progressively draw the matchups, according to precise rules:

each team will face eight different opponents, two from each pot;

balance between home and away matches will be guaranteed;

teams from the same federation cannot face each other;

a maximum of two teams from the same country may appear in the same group.

The complete schedule with dates and times will be officially announced by Saturday, August 30.

The provisional pots

While waiting to determine the last spots through the playoffs, the pots are currently as follows:

First pot: Inter (finalist last May), Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona.

Second pot: Juventus, Atalanta, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Villarreal.

Third pot: Napoli, Ajax, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille.

Fourth pot: still to be completed, with teams like Tottenham awaiting the outcome of the preliminary rounds.

The new feature: unified draws for Europa League and Conference League

For the first time, the Europa League and Conference League will have a joint draw, scheduled for Friday, August 29 at 1:00 PM, also in Monte Carlo. The aim is to make the show more engaging and give greater visibility to both competitions.

The mechanism will be the same as the Champions League: the digital software will instantly draw the pairings, revealing them progressively pot by pot to maintain suspense. The calendars for both competitions will be announced by Sunday, August 31.

Italian teams in the other cups

Europa League: Bologna and Roma will participate.

Conference League: Fiorentina will be looking for a starring run after reaching the finals in recent editions.

Monte Carlo, crossroads of European football

With the new season about to begin, the draws in Monte Carlo will not just be a formal moment, but the first step towards months of great European challenges. For Italian clubs, the goal will be to start off on the right foot in a context that promises to be more competitive than ever.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.