2025–26 Champions League Pots: Arsenal Guaranteed Tricky Draw

36 teams will be divided into four pots of nine for the 2025–26 Champions League league phase.

The Champions League trophy in all its glory. / IMAGO/IPA Sport

2024–25 represented a new dawn for the Champions League, as UEFA opted for expansion and the introduction of a Swiss model.

You can debate all you want about the success of the new format, but it certainly wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. While it’d perhaps make more sense to drop the number of league phase games from eight to six, there was reason to like the novel look to Europe’s premier club competition.

Under the old format, the Champions League group-stage draw used to be a significant occasion. Claudio Ranieri’s doppelgänger would walk us through his usual necessary spiel before UEFA ambassadors—almost always stars of the competition from yesteryear—would come out on stage, talk about their Champions League experiences and draw balls from the pots.

It’d go on for a bit, but there was a sense of excitement.

Now, efficiency rules. Automation has come in and ensured the new league phase draw can be completed in no time at all. The technology used doesn’t determine the make-up of eight groups, but instead the opponents of all 36 teams in a blink of an eye.

Here are all the confirmed teams for the 2025–26 Champions League and their respective pot placements for the league phase draw.

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2025–26 Champions League Confirmed Teams

Newcastle United are one of six Premier League teams to qualify. / IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

All 36 teams involved in the 2025–26 Champions League have now been confirmed.

The bulk of the teams confirmed to be involved in the league phase come from the continent’s top five leagues, and there will be six Premier League representatives due to their improved coefficient earning them an extra spot. Tottenham Hotspur, despite finishing the league season in 17th, have qualified by virtue of their Europa League success.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all qualified to earn a spot in Pot 1 while Arsenal landed in Pot 2. This ensures that the Gunners will play two non-English teams from the top tier of the draw. Newcastle United face an even more daunting fate as they are in lowly Pot 4.

Spain also earned an extra qualifying spot, so La Liga’s top five have qualified. Joining Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in the competition are Athletic Club and Villarreal.

Villarreal beat Juventus over two legs on their way to a semifinal berth under Unai Emery three seasons ago, and the Old Lady retained their Champions League status despite an arduous Serie A campaign. Juve finished fourth in the table, with champions Napoli, as well as Inter and Atalanta finishing above them.

Bayern Munich returned to Germany’s summit in 2024–25, with Bayer Leverkusen finishing a distant second. Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed an impressive year and are back in the big time, while Borussia Dortmund somehow snuck into fourth spot.

Holders Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Monaco are the three teams representing France, while PSV Eindhoven and Ajax made it from the Eredivisie. Other leagues winners that are participating include Sporting CP, Union Saint-Gilloise, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague and Olympiacos.

Kazakhstan outfit Kairat defeated Celtic on penalties to qualify via the playoffs, the same route taken by Pafos and, for the first time in their history, Bodø/Glimt. Benfica, Qarabağ and Club Brugge also came through the playoffs to reach the league phase.

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When is the 2025–26 Champions League League Phase Draw

The draw for the 2025–26 Champions League league phase takes place on Aug. 28—the day after the playoffs conclude.

The automated draw will take place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, starting at 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET, 9 a.m. PT

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2025–26 Champions League League Phase Pots

Pot 1

Club	Country	UEFA Coefficient
Real Madrid	Spain	143.500
Man City	England	137.750
Bayern Munich	Germany	135.250
Liverpool	England	125.500
Paris Saint-Germain	France	116.500
Inter	Italy	116.250
Chelsea	England	109.000
Borussia Dortmund	Germany	106.750
Barcelona	Spain	103.250

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Pot 2

Club	Country	UEFA Coefficient
Arsenal	England	98.000
Bayer Leverkusen	Germany	95.250
Atlético Madrid	Spain	93.500
Benfica	Portugal	87.750
Atalanta	Italy	82.000
Villarreal	Spain	82.000
Juventus	Italy	74.250
Eintracht Frankfurt	Germany	74.000
Club Brugge	Belgium	71.750

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Pot 3

Club	Country	UEFA Coefficient
Tottenham Hotspur	England	70.250
PSV Eindhoven	Netherlands	69.250
Ajax	Netherlands	67.250
Napoli	Italy	61.000
Sporting CP	Portugal	59.000
Olympiacos	Greece	56.500
Slavia Prague	Czechia	51.000
Bodø/Glimt	Norway	49.000
Marseille	France	48.000

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Pot 4

Club	Country	UEFA Coefficient
Copenhagen	Denmark	44.875
Monaco	France	41.000
Galatasaray	Turkïye	38.250
Union Saint-Gilloise	Belgium	36.000
Qarabağ	Azerbaijan	32.000
Athletic Club	Spain	26.750
Newcastle United	England	23.039
Pafos	Cyprus	11.125
Kairat	Kazakhstan	5.500

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When is The 2025–26 Champions League Final?

Budapest’s Puskás Arena will host the Champions League final for the first time. / IMAGO/Herrmann Agenturfotografie

The Champions League final is heading to a new venue in 2026. For the first time ever, the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary will stage the competition’s showpiece event.

Budapest played host to the Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla in 2023.

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