The draw includes 29 teams with direct entry and seven teams that advanced through the play-off round: Sabah, Bodo/Glimt, LASK, AEK, Fenerbahce, Viking, and Slovan Bratislava. This marks the third season the tournament operates under a new format, featuring a single league table of 36 clubs instead of the previous group stage.

PSG celebrates winning the 2025-2026 Champions League title. *Photo: AP*

The 36 teams are divided into four pots, with nine teams in each, based on their UEFA club coefficients calculated from their performance over the last five seasons. Pot one comprises the highest-ranked teams, while pot four is reserved for those with the lowest coefficients.

Teams are drawn sequentially from pot one. Subsequently, UEFA's computer system automatically assigns eight opponents for each club in the classification round, with two teams from each pot. Every team will play eight matches: four at home and four away.

In the classification round, teams from the same country cannot face each other. Each club can also encounter a maximum of two opponents from any single other nation.

Following the conclusion of the classification round, the top eight teams secure direct qualification to the round of 16. Clubs ranked from ninth to 24th will compete in a play-off for the remaining eight berths. The 12 teams ranked 25th and below will be eliminated from the Champions League and will not transfer to other European competitions.

Hong Duy