Champions League: Pots and how to watch the group stage draw

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·26 août 2025

Champions League: Pots and how to watch the group stage draw

The 2025-2026 Champions League kicks off on September 17, with group stage matches following one after another until January 29 to determine the standings of a single league. Before that, there will be a draw to decide the opponents (2 from each pot, everything is explained below). This will take place this Thursday, August 28 at 6 p.m. Paris Saint-Germain, in particular, is involved.

The broadcast of the draw:

This draw will be broadcast live at 6 p.m. on Canal+ and La Chaîne L’Equipe. To watch it on TV, you must be subscribed to at least one of these channels. We will also offer live written coverage on our website. Don’t forget that UEFA will also stream it online.

Vidéos OneFootball

As a reminder, one team from each pot will be placed in each group, with the rule that two clubs from the same country cannot be in the same group.

The qualified clubs in each pot:

This is still provisional, depending on the last qualifying rounds this week, for the clubs that are not “checked”:

How the draw and the league work:

(source: UEFA website)

“With the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (formerly the group stage). They will no longer face three opponents twice—home and away—but eight different teams, playing half of these matches at home and the other half away. To determine the eight opponents, teams will first be seeded into four pots. Each team will then be drawn to face two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home and one away.”

It is not possible to face teams from the same country in the league phase, nor more than two teams from the same league.