Celtic crash out of Champions League qualifying as transfer gamble backfires
Celtic FC manager Brendan Rodgers struggled to mask his frustration over the club’s Champions League play-off preparations after a shoot-out defeat against Kairat Almaty consigned them to the Europa League.
A failure to invest in attacking options came back to haunt Celtic during a goalless 210 minutes against the team from Kazakhstan and Rodgers hinted the club had manufactured their own stress.
Daizen Maeda, last season’s top goalscorer, missed a glorious chance in the 86th minute before Celtic belatedly dominated in extra-time without finding the breakthrough.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 15:15
Uefa announces major change to Champions League final
The 2026 Champions League final will kick off three hours earlier than the 2025 edition as Uefa confirms a major change to its showpiece decider.
Last year’s encounter between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan began at 9pm local time (8pm BST) in Munich, but next year’s final at Puskas Arena in Budapest is scheduled for 6pm local time (5pm BST) in a significant alteration.
Uefa has suggested that the decision has been made to “enhance the overall matchday experience” for fans, teams and host cities, noting that games extending deep into Saturday night have posed logistical challenges in the past.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 15:00
Champions League 2025/26 matchdays
Matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 2: 30 September–1 October 2025
Matchday 3: 21/22 October 2025
Matchday 4: 4/5 November 2025
Matchday 5: 25/26 November 2025
Matchday 6: 9/10 December 2025
Matchday 7: 20/21 January 2026
Matchday 8: 28 January 2026
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 14:50
Champions League 2025/26 league phase pots
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 3: Tottenham, PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 14:40
How does the league phase draw work?
The league phase has 36 teams with every team handed eight games. The 36 teams are split into four pots of eight teams based on their Uefa coefficient, with the opponents generated by automated software.
The opponents then come from each pot, with two teams selected from each, one home and one away.
Teams cannot play another team from the same country and are not permitted to face more than two teams from one country.
Those finishing inside the top eight go straight into the last 16, then the next 16 teams advance to the play-off stage, with eight of those 16 teams progressing to the last 16.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 14:30
When is the Champions League draw?
The draw will be held in Monaco on Thursday, 28 August and begins at 5pm BST (6pm CET). The first balls will be drawn at around 5:30pm.
How to watch the Champions League draw
Uefa and TNT Sports will both offer a free live stream on their websites and YouTube channels.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 14:20
The Gunners reached the semi-finals last term, losing out to PSG 3-1 on aggregate after thrashing both PSV and Real Madrid before their final four exit.
And Luis Enrique’s side went on to thump Inter Milan 5-0 in the final and have since edged past Spurs on penalties in the Uefa Super Cup earlier this month, denying Thomas Frank a trophy in his first game in charge.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 14:10
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s Champions League league phase draw.
Six Premier League clubs will find out their opponents across the opening eight games of the competition, with Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs all eager to find out how difficult their routes to the knockout rounds are.
And we’ll have all the latest updates from Monaco right here.
Chris Wilson28 August 2025 13:58