Liverpool will be among the favourites to win the Champions League this season – here’s all you need to know ahead of Thursday’s league phase draw.
The Reds returned to Europe’s top competition last season, following a year away, but were knocked out in the last 16 by eventual winners PSG.
Arne Slot‘s side will be hoping for a better Champions League showing in 2025/26, as they look to win the competition for the first time since 2019.
This season will again see the expanded 36-team tournament take place, including the new-look league phase replacing the old group stage.
That means all 36 sides play in one league phase with eight matches apiece, before the traditional knockout stage takes place.
In 2024/25, Liverpool won all of their first seven league games, losing the last one away to PSV Eindhoven in a dead rubber.
Here’s all you need to know about the Champions League draw, including who the Reds could be drawn against.
When is the draw?
The Champions League draw takes place in Monaco from 5pm (BST) on Thursday.
It will be broadcast live on UEFA.com, as well as YouTube and TNT Sports.
Who could Liverpool play?
Liverpool are in Pot 1 and will be drawn against two teams from each of the following pots:
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge
Pot 3: Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat
Liverpool will play four of their games at home and the other four away, but will play none of their league phase opponents twice.
Meanwhile, the Reds cannot play teams from the Premier League at this stage, ruling out Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle.
Each club can play a maximum of two sides from the same association, so Liverpool could NOT be drawn against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal, for example.
The top eight teams will go straight into the last 16, while those from ninth to 24th place will face a one-legged playoff against one of the other sides.
The victors from those 16 playoffs will then face off in eight two-legged playoffs in February, looking to make it into the knockout stage with the top eight.
The last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be two-legged, as per usual, with the final taking place in Budapest on May 30, 2026.
Champions League key dates
Fixtures will be confirmed no later than this Saturday, but here are the key dates to look out for:
- League draw – August 28
- Matchday 1: September 16-18
- Matchday 2: September 30-October 1
- Matchday 3: October 21/22
- Matchday 4: November 4/5
- Matchday 5: November 25/26
- Matchday 6: December 9/10
- Matchday 7: January 20/21
- Matchday 8: January 28
- Play-off draw – January 30
- Knockout play-offs: February 17/18 and 24/25
- Last 16/quarter-final/semi-final draw – February 27
- Last 16: March 10/11 and 17/18
- Quarter-final: April 7/8 and 14//15
- Semi-final: April 28/29 and May 5/6
- Final: May 30 (Budapest)