The UEFA Champions League for the 2026/27 season is taking shape, with Barcelona already aware of 28 out of the 35 teams that will compete in the league phase. Notably, prominent clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, and Benfica will not be part of the tournament this season.

Draw and Group Stage Format

The final seven teams will be determined through the qualifying rounds, with the Albanian champion still to be decided on Sunday, August 31. The draw for the group stage is set for August 27 in Monte Carlo, where Barcelona will learn their eight opponents, with two teams drawn from each of the four pots.

Importantly, Barcelona cannot face any of the other four Spanish clubs in the competition: Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid from Pot 1, Real Betis from Pot 2, and Villarreal from Pot 3. In addition to Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético, the competition will also feature top clubs like Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, and Arsenal.

Pot Breakdown and Qualifying Teams

Each of the Spanish giants will play one home and one away match against teams from this elite group. Pot 2 includes several strong teams, such as Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis, and PSV Eindhoven. Pot 3 is expected to feature Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Galatasaray, along with Olympique Lyon and Bodø/Glimt if they qualify based on UEFA coefficient rankings. Pot 4 currently lists Slavia Prague, Stuttgart, Como, and Lens, while favorites to advance from the qualifiers include Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic, Slovan Bratislava, and Lech Poznań.

Under the competition rules, no team can face more than two clubs from the same country. The Champions League will kick off with the opening matchdays scheduled for September 8, 9, and 10, which have been moved forward by one week due to FIFA's new international calendar. The final is set to take place on June 5 at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium.