The 2025-26 ,[object Object], league phase draw took place on August 28, 2025, at the ,[object Object], in Monaco, marking an exciting moment for European football fans. This season marks the second year under the new 36-team league phase format, which replaced the traditional group stage with a single "mini-league" where teams face eight different opponents. A total of 36 teams are divided into four pots based on UEFA club coefficients, including top clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, who enter as defending champions, alongside big names like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal. The draw determined the matchups for the league phase, establishing the schedule for the eight matchdays that will run from mid-September 2025 to late January 2026 .

The draw procedure was a mix of manual and automated elements. Starting with Pot One, each team was drawn from physical balls, and then sophisticated software selected their eight opponents, ensuring teams faced two from each pot, with one home and one away match against each opponent. Clubs cannot meet teams from their own country more than twice and cannot be drawn against clubs from the same association at all if that would contravene UEFA rules. The 2025-26 season also saw historic firsts, with clubs like Bodø/Glimt from Norway and Kairat from Kazakhstan making their debut appearances in the league phase, highlighting UEFA's expanding reach. This format creates an intense and diverse schedule of matches for every club involved, increasing competitive tension across the league phase .

Some notable fixtures emerged from the draw, with Paris Saint-Germain set to defend their title against formidable opponents like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool, the reigning English top division champions, were drawn to face a challenging set of teams including Real Madrid, Marseille, and Juventus. Manchester City also found themselves matched against heavyweights such as Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. Arsenal will face a tough challenge approaching their toughest games at home against Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur. These matchups are expected to offer thrilling contests and set the tone for a gripping campaign on the road to the knockout stages in spring 2026 .

The league phase will consist of eight matchdays, with each team playing four home and four away matches starting from September 16-18, 2025. The top eight teams at the end of this phase will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will enter a knockout playoff, while those ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition. The final for the 2025-26 season is scheduled for May 30, 2026, at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. Football fans worldwide await this highly anticipated season, eager to see which clubs will rise to the occasion under the new league phase format and claim ,[object Object], .