Arsenal Faces Nightmare Champions League Draw as 2025-26 Pots Revealed

The 2024–25 season marked a fresh chapter for the Champions League, as UEFA chose to expand (surprise!) and implement a Swiss system format.

While you can argue endlessly about how well the new structure worked, it certainly wasn't a complete failure. Though it might be more logical to reduce the league phase matches from eight to six, there were compelling reasons to appreciate the fresh approach to Europe's top club tournament.

In the previous format, the Champions League group-stage draw was quite the spectacle. Claudio Ranieri's lookalike would guide us through his customary essential presentation before UEFA ambassadors—typically former competition legends—would appear on stage, share their Champions League memories and select balls from the containers.

The ceremony would run for a while, but there was genuine anticipation.

Today, streamlined processes prevail. Automation has arrived and allows the new league phase draw to finish incredibly quickly. The system employed doesn't create eight group compositions, but rather determines all 36 teams' adversaries in an instant.

Below are all the qualified teams for the 2025–26 Champions League and their designated pot positions for the league phase draw.

2025–26 Champions League Qualified Teams

We won't discover all 36 participating teams until qualifying wraps up in August, but numerous clubs secured their positions through league standings in 2024–25.

Most confirmed league phase participants hail from the continent's premier five divisions, and there will be six Premier League delegates thanks to their enhanced coefficient securing an additional berth. Tottenham Hotspur, despite concluding the league campaign in 17th place, qualified through their Europa League triumph.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all earned spots in Pot 1 while Arsenal secured placement in Pot 2. This guarantees the Gunners will face two non-English clubs from the draw's top bracket. Newcastle United confronts an even more challenging situation as they sit in lowly Pot 4.

Spain also gained an extra qualification slot, so La Liga's top five have advanced. Joining Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in the tournament are Athletic Club and Villarreal.

Villarreal defeated Juventus across two matches en route to a semifinal appearance under Unai Emery three campaigns ago, and the Turin side maintained their Champions League position despite a challenging Serie A season. Juve concluded fourth in the standings, with champions Napoli, plus Inter and Atalanta placing ahead of them.

Bayern Munich reclaimed Germany's throne in 2024–25, with Bayer Leverkusen finishing well behind in second. Eintracht Frankfurt had an outstanding campaign and returned to elite competition, while Borussia Dortmund managed to secure fourth position.

Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Monaco are the sole certainties from France, while PSV Eindhoven and Ajax qualified from the Eredivisie.

The remaining confirmed clubs are domestic champions: Sporting CP, Union Saint-Gilloise, Galatasaray, Slavia Prague and Olympiacos.

When is the 2025–26 Champions League League Phase Draw

The draw for the 2025–26 Champions League league phase is scheduled for Aug. 28—one day after the playoffs finish.

The computerized draw will occur at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

2025–26 Champions League League Phase Pots

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 2/3

Pot 3

Pot 3/4

Pot 4

When is The 2025–26 Champions League Final?

The Champions League final is moving to a fresh location in 2026. For the inaugural time, the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary will host the tournament's premier match.

Budapest previously welcomed the Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla in 2023.