UEFA Champions League 2026-27 seeding pots confirmed

The seeding pots for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase were officially confirmed on Wednesday, August 26, following the conclusion of the final playoff qualifying matches. The draw for the 36-team competition is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 27, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, with the league phase set to begin on September 8.

The final four teams to secure their places in the league phase were determined on Wednesday night. Fenerbahce advanced with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Olympique Lyon, AEK Athens defeated Levski Sofia 4-0, Viking FK beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 on aggregate, and Slovan Bratislava secured a dramatic extra-time win over Celje. These results completed the 36-team field for the competition's third season under its expanded single-league format.

The 36 clubs have been divided into four pots of nine teams, based on their UEFA club coefficient rankings. Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion, is automatically placed in Pot 1. The top pot also includes Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. Pot 2 features Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto,...