Six-times champions of Europe, how far will Liverpool go in this season's competition? Following last season's disastrous title defence under Arne Slot, the Reds were thankful to the extra place granted to the Premier League, considering they finished fifth.
Nevertheless, now led by Andoni Iraola, they have to be among the front runners be back at the Metropolitano in Madrid next June. Liverpool's European campaign will start sooner than you might think, so here is everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League draw.
When is the Champions League league phase draw?
The UEFA Champions League league phase draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday 27 August. It is scheduled to start at 6pm local time, which is 5pm in the UK and midday on the east coast of the United States. Based on previous draws, it will be at least half an hour before any teams are actually drawn.
How can I watch the Champions League draw?
The draw will be live on BBC iPlayer, TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the United Kingdom as well as on CBS Sports in the United States.
What pot are Liverpool in for the Champions League draw?
Liverpool are currently fourth in the UEFA Club Coefficient ranking. Thus, they are in pot 1, albeit this does not yield any sporting benefit, unlike in the old group stage format.
Who has qualified for the Champions League league phase?
29 clubs qualified for the Champions League league phase automatically, joined by the seven play-off round winners from Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The teams are divided into four points based on their Coefficient ranking, as outlined below.
Pot 1
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Liverpool
- Internazionale Milano
- Manchester City
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
- Atlético Madrid
Pot 2
- Borussia Dortmund
- AS Roma
- Sporting Clube de Portugal
- Aston Villa
- FC Porto
- Manchester United
- Club Brugge
- Real Betis
- PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3
- Feyenoord
- LOSC Lille
- Bodø/Glimt
- Napoli
- RB Leipzig
- Villarreal
- Fenerbahçe
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Galatasaray
Pot 4
- Slavia Prague
- ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- VfB Stuttgart
- AEK Athens
- LASK
- Como
- Lens
- Viking
- Sabah
Who can Liverpool not face in the Champions League?
As always, Liverpool cannot face fellow Premier League clubs, namely Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa. Meantime, this year, a new UEFA rule also prevents them from facing Real Madrid at Anfield. This extra regulation prevents identical fixtures from being played in three successive seasons. They could though still face José Mourinho's side at the Bernabéu.
This all guarantees that one of PSG, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan or Bayern Munich will be visiting Merseyside from pot 1.
The Reds can also only face a maximum of two opponents from any one country. So, for example, were they to draw Barça and Atleti from pot 1, they would not be able to face Real Betis nor Villarreal from pots later down the line.
How does the Champions League league phase draw work?
In the expanded league phase, Liverpool will play eight matches, four at Anfield and four on the road. These will be against eight different opponents. In each pot, they will play one team at home and one away. The draw starts with pot 1, so Kopites will know their opponents quite early. The full fixture calendar will be released on Saturday morning.
Champions League 2026/27 league phase dates
- League phase draw: Thursday 27 August - 5pm (BST) start.
- Matchday 1: 8-10 September.
- Matchday 2: 13 & 14 October.
- Matchday 3: 20 & 21 October.
- Matchday 4: 3 & 4 November.
- Matchday 5: 24 & 25 November.
- Matchday 6: 8 & 9 December.
- Matchday 7: 19 & 20 January.
- Matchday 8: Wednesday 27 January.
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