Overview
- The league‑phase draw was held Thursday in Monaco and assigned each of the 36 clubs eight opponents with a home/away split, completing the matchups that clubs will play from September through January.
- Under the expanded single‑table format every team plays two opponents from each of four pots for eight matches, with four at home and four away and UEFA publishing the precise fixture calendar and kick‑off times by Saturday, Aug. 29.
- The draw produced immediate headline ties including Real Madrid v Arsenal in London, Paris Saint‑Germain v Manchester City at the Etihad and Inter hosting Liverpool, concentrating major matchups early in the campaign.
- Qualification rules remain: the top eight in the league phase progress directly to the round of 16, places 9–24 enter two‑leg knockout play‑offs in February, and places 25–36 are eliminated with no drop to the Europa League.
- Four clubs make their Champions League league‑phase debuts — Como, LASK, Sabah and Viking — and UEFA used a mixed physical/digital draw to enforce country protection and a rule barring the same individual home fixture for three straight seasons.