The trophy is ready too! And it comes with company 👀

Nostalgia?...  

THE POTS ARE READY

The UEFA Champions League 2025/26 now has all 36 teams confirmed for the League Phase, and this Thursday the much-anticipated draw will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. It will be the second season under the new format that has revolutionized the competition and kept Europe’s giants—Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, and Manchester City—on edge.

The Champions League 2025/26 format

The structure of the tournament will remain the same as the one introduced last season. The 36 clubs will be ranked in a single table, where:

• The top eight advance directly to the Round of 16.
• Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will play a two-legged playoff to determine the remaining places in the Round of 16.
• Teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated.

Each club will play eight matches in the League Phase (four at home and four away) against opponents from different pots. Unlike the traditional group stage, there will be no repeated matchups, increasing the variety of fixtures.

One controversial change is that clubs finishing directly in the top eight will have home-field advantage in every knockout round, except the neutral-site final. Additionally, if a playoff team eliminates a higher-ranked opponent, they can inherit that home advantage in the following round—a rule already stirring debate.

Qualified teams and prize money at stake

Among the entrants are six clubs from the Premier League (Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Newcastle), five from LaLiga (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club, and Villarreal), along with historic powerhouses such as Bayern Munich, Inter, Juventus, PSG, Benfica, Ajax, and Galatasaray.

UEFA confirmed that up to €2.47 billion in prize money will be distributed, with €18.6 million guaranteed just for participating. Each win is worth an additional €2.1 million, and the champion could earn up to €111 million in direct income.

Key tournament dates

• League Phase kickoff: September 16, 2025
• Final matchday: January 28, 2026
• Playoffs: February 17/18 & 24/25, 2026
• Round of 16: March 2026
• Quarterfinals: April 2026
• Semifinals: April 28/29 & May 5/6, 2026
• Final: May 30, 2026 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest

The countdown is on: the draw will determine the fate of Europe’s giants and set in motion a Champions League full of drama, controversy, and spectacle.