How to watch Champions League draw - TV channel and live stream, start time, fixture dates

The six Premier League clubs participating in the Champions League are set to find out their league phase opponents. That is an increase from the usual four, thanks to the recent strong performance of English teams in Europe and Tottenham's Europa League victory.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle, along with Spurs, will represent the Premier League in UEFA's top club competition. No English team has won the tournament since Man City clinched the Treble in 2023, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain emerging victorious since then. However, there are high hopes that at least one of the Premier League sides can make it to the 2026 final, which will be held at Budapest's Puskas Arena on Saturday, 30 May. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the draw and when the matches will take place...

When is the Champions League draw?

The draw is scheduled to take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 28, starting at 5pm UK time.

How to watch the Champions League draw

Both UEFA and the UK's Champions League broadcaster, TNT Sports, will provide a free live stream on their websites and YouTube channels. If you're a subscriber, you'll also be able to watch the draw on TNT Sports and the Discovery+ app.

How does the league phase work?

The competition will kick off with a recently introduced league phase, featuring 36 teams playing eight matches each, split evenly between home and away fixtures. Clubs from the same country cannot face each other and no team can play more than two teams from one nation.

The top eight clubs will advance directly to the last 16, while those finishing ninth to 24th will compete in a play-off round for the remaining spots. There will be no safety net of Europa League qualification for the bottom 12 finishers.

When will the matches take place?

The league phase commences in mid-September and runs until the end of January.

Matchday 1: September 16/18, 2025

Matchday 2: September 30/October 1, 2025

Matchday 3: October 21/22, 2025

Matchday 4: November 4/5, 2025

Matchday 5: November 25/26, 2025

Matchday 6: December 9/10, 2025

Matchday 7: January 20/21, 2026

Matchday 8: January 28, 2026

Knockout phase play-offs: February 17/18 and 24/25, 2026

Round of 16: March 10/11 and 17/18, 2026

Quarter-finals: April 7/8 and 14/15, 2026

Semi-finals: May, 28/29 April and May 5/6, 2026

Final: May 30, 2026