The UEFA Champions League 2025/26 is about to kick off with the group-stage draw taking place this Thursday, August 28, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. FC Barcelona will be represented at the draw by vice president and sports chief Rafa Yuste, football area director Deco (Anderson Luis de Souza), and Bojan Krkic, who coordinates Barça’s football operations.
Second year of the format
It’s worth noting that this is the second year of the revamped format, which features a new phase called the Liga Stage. The first phase runs across eight matchdays and produces a single table with all 36 clubs. After that, the competition moves into the knockout rounds.
Four pots and eight opponents
Eight opponents will come out of the draw on Thursday. As usual, the clubs that qualified for the Champions League are split into four pots based on the UEFA coefficient, with Barça in pot 1. Each club will face two opponents from each pot—one at home and one away. An automated system will determine both the opponents and the venues for each tie. Every club will play four games at home and four away.
The draw will begin with pot 1, and opponents will be assigned to the teams in order. The remaining pots will be drawn in descending order until every club has eight opponents. Importantly, in the Liga Stage, teams from the same country cannot face each other. For Barça, this means no matches against Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Athletic Club, or Villarreal in the group stage, and no more than two opponents from the same country overall.
The possible opponents
After the groups are filled, Barça’s potential opponents are as follows:
– Pot 1: PSG, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund. Real Madrid is also in pot 1, but cannot face Barça because of the country restriction.
– Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, Juventus, Eintracht, Brugge, Benfica. Atlético Madrid and Villarreal are also in pot 2, but cannot be Barça’s opponents.
– Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Bodø/Glimt, Olympique de Marseille, Tottenham.
– Pot 4: Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Newcastle, Paphos, Kairat Almaty, Copenhagen, Qarabag. Athletic Bilbao is also in pot 4, but cannot face Barça.
The eliminatorias (knockout rounds)
The Liga Stage runs from September 16, 2025, to January 28, 2026. The eight teams finishing at the top will advance directly to the Round of 16 as seeded teams. Their opponents will come from the playoff round, which features teams finishing between ninth and 24th place. All rounds are two-legged fixtures, except the final.
New seeding and home advantage
A notable novelty this season is that the away legs in the knockout rounds will be hosted by the Liga Stage’s seeds, rather than being decided by a draw as last season. This means the higher-seeded group-stage teams will enjoy home advantage in the return legs.
The calendar
– Liga Stage: September 16, 2025, to January 28, 2026
– Knockout play-offs: February 17/18 and 24/25, 2026
– Round of 16: March 10/11 and 17/18, 2026
– Quarterfinals: April 7/8 and 14/15, 2026
– Semifinals: April 28/29 and May 5/6, 2026
– Final: May 30, 2026 in Budapest
Club program
On the day of the draw, Barça’s official YouTube channel will air a special program starting at 18:00, hosted by Robert Van Eeckhout and Llorenç Tarrés, to broadcast live coverage of the draw and provide updates.
A look ahead for Barça
Being in pot 1 means Barcelona will avoid domestic rivals in the group stage and could benefit from the new format’s seeding in the knockout rounds. The varied mix of potential opponents in pots 1 and 2 promises a challenging but manageable path, depending on the draw outcomes. The updated format, with top seeds hosting the second legs, could favor Barça as they aim to secure a strong position heading into the knockout phase.
Summary
The 2025/26 Champions League starts with the group-stage draw in Monaco, where Barça — represented by Yuste, Deco, and Bojan Krkic — will learn their eight Liga Stage opponents. The competition features four pots of potential opponents, a seeded knockout structure, and a new rule giving home advantage in the second leg to group-stage seeds. The schedule runs from September 16, 2025, to the final in Budapest on May 30, 2026, with a Barça-focused YouTube program accompanying the draw.