Liverpool will discover their Champions League league phase opponents following the conclusion of the final qualifying rounds.
Arne Slot’s side are about to learn the start of a journey they hope will end with a seventh European Cup being lifted in Budapest next May.
The Reds, who returned to Europe’s top competition last season after a one-year absence, reached the round of 16 before being eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Having last won the Champions League in 2019, Liverpool will be looking to mount a stronger challenge this time around.
When is the Champions League draw?
The draw takes place August 28th 2025 at 5pm BST in Monaco.
For fans in the UK, the draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com, and also broadcast on TNT Sports and YouTube.
How does the new format work?
This season is the second to feature UEFA’s revamped 36-team league phase, which replaces the traditional group stage.
- Each team plays eight matches (four at home, four away)
- Clubs will face eight different opponents – no team can be drawn against the same side twice
- Teams from the same country cannot meet at this stage
- Each club will be drawn against two teams from each of the four seeding pots, which are determined by UEFA’s coefficient rankings
Once the league phase ends:
- The top eight teams progress directly to the round of 16
- Teams ranked 9th–24th enter a one-legged play-off, with the winners advancing to join the top eight in the knockouts
- From the round of 16 onwards, the format is familiar: two-legged ties in the last 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, before the final in Budapest on May 30, 2026
Six time European winners Liverpool are seeded in pone one, alongside Europe’s elite. This means they will avoid Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Milan in the league phase.
However, plenty of big names remain in pots two, three, and four. Depending on how the draw unfolds, the Reds could face a brutal schedule or something more favourable.
Either way, Slot’s men will play eight unique opponents, with the fixtures spread across the autumn and winter months.
- Pot one: Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Inter Milan
- Pot two: Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Club Brugge
- Pot three: Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, Bodo/Glimt
- Pot four: Newcastle United, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Bilbao, Pafos, FC Kairat, Qarabag, FC Copenhagen
Liverpool stormed through last season’s league phase, finishing first, winning their first seven matches before losing a dead rubber against PSV Eindhoven. But the knockout defeat to PSG left a bitter taste.
This time, Slot and his squad will be determined to prove they can go the distance and reclaim Europe’s most prestigious prize for the first time in seven years.
With qualification secured, pot one seeding guaranteed, and excitement building ahead of the draw in Monaco, Supporters across the globe will be eagerly waiting to see what kind of path awaits in the 2025–26 Champions League.
