The UEFA Champions League league phase draw is set to drop on Thursday, August 27, kicking off at 12 p.m. ET straight from the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. This isn’t just another date on the calendar, folks, this is where the road to the final on June 5 at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium truly begins. We’re talking about the opening round of league phase fixtures starting Tuesday, September 8, with games also lined up for that Wednesday and Thursday. You won’t want to miss the draw, so make sure you’re tuned into CBS Sports Golazo Network when it goes down.
Heavyweights, Returnees, and a New Face Ready to Rumble
We’ve got a killer field of 36 teams about to get sorted for the league phase, with the last seven spots getting filled up as qualification wraps this week. And let me tell you, it’s a wild mix of the usual suspects and some serious newcomers who are all getting eight games to prove they belong. You’ve got your absolute titans like back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain and last season’s finalists Arsenal leading the charge. Throw in fellow heavyweights like Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and you know it’s going to be a battle. Manchester United is back in the mix after a couple of seasons away, which is huge! But honestly, the real story for me, one of the most notable newcomers, is the Italian side Como. They’re here, and they’re ready to make some noise against teams like Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool, Inter, Napoli, Roma, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Lens, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge, Slavia Praha, Galatasaray, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Get ready, because these are the moments we live for in European football!
The Draw: Where Dreams Are Made and Gauntlets Are Thrown
The playoff rounds are finishing up right now, setting the stage for Thursday’s main event. We saw Sabah take on Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Bodo/Glimt against NEC Nijmegen, and LASK battle Celtic on Tuesday, August 25. Then on Wednesday, August 26, it was AEK Athens versus Levski Sofia, Lyon versus Fenerbahce, Viking against Dinamo Zagreb, and Celje taking on Slovan Bratislava, all fighting for their shot. Once those last spots are locked, the teams will be divided into four pots. It’s all about that five-year UEFA club coefficient, baby. Pot 1 gets the highest-ranked teams, Pot 4 gets the lowest, and the reigning Champions League holders? They’re always chilling in Pot 1. This draw isn’t just about who plays who, it’s about what kind of path each team gets on the road to the final.
So mark your calendars for Thursday, August 27, because this draw is going to set the tone for the entire season. We’re talking about the biggest club competition in the world, and every team, especially newcomers like Como, is looking to make a deep run to Madrid.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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