Overview

• The four nine-team pots are set after the playoff round, with Pot 1 featuring PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
• Each club will be drawn to face eight different opponents—two from each pot—playing one home and one away, with no same-league pairings and a cap of two opponents from any single country.
• The league phase begins September 16–18 and concludes January 28, 2026; the final is scheduled for May 30, 2026 at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna.
• Under the format, the top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while teams in places 9–24 enter two-legged playoffs in February to fill the remaining last-16 spots.
• Qarabağ, FC Copenhagen, Benfica and Club Brugge clinched the final berths, while Rangers, Celtic and Fenerbahce were among the notable clubs eliminated in qualifying.