How the Champions League draw works for Man City and the huge prize money on offer

Manchester City will discover their Champions League opponents this week.

City will discover their opponents this week

Manchester City may only be two games into the domestic season but this week attention will turn to Champions League football with the League Phase draw being made.

City struggled in Europe last season, losing in the play-off round to Real Madrid after an underwhelming opening eight fixtures. The Blues will be hoping for better this time around as they seek to reclaim the title they won in 2023 as part of an historic treble.

Pep Guardiola's side have started their Premier League campaign with a win at Wolves and a home defeat to Tottenham and are on the road at Brighton this weekend before the first international break of the season.

When top-level football resumes in September, City enter a hectic period of league and Champions League games as well as beginning their EFL Cup journey.

But before that comes Thursday's Champions League draw. Here's all you need to know:

When is the Champions League draw?

The draw will take place on Thursday, August 28 at 5pm UK time. It takes place in Monaco and follows the same format as last year. The 36 teams will be split into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient. The draw will begin with pot one, with a physical ball drawn before automated software, which was used last year, selects eight opponents.

The software will pick two teams from each of the four pots, with one home and one away match against each. No teams from the same association can be drawn against each other, meaning City cannot face any of their Premier League rivals in the league phase. They can, however, face up to two opponents from the same association.

This process will repeat until all pairings are drawn. City will be in pot one alongside PSG, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona.

When will we know the exact dates and times?

By the end of the draw, City will know their eight opponents, but the official Champions League fixture list with all match dates and kick-off times will not immediately follow. That will be released in the coming days and be confirmed by Saturday at the latest.

When are the league phase matches?

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

When are the knockout games?

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

Where will the Champions League final take place?

The 2026 Champions League final takes place on May 30 and will be staged at the Puskas Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

How much prize money will clubs make?

The official figures for this year's competition are not yet public but based on last year's numbers, a league phase win would earn £1.8m and a draw £590,000. The top eight sides pocket £1.7m for qualifying directly to the knockout stages and there is £233,000 on offer for each place in the final league phase table.

Clubs then get £9.4m for reaching the round of 16, £10.7m for the quarter-finals, £12.9m for the semi-finals, £15.9m for the runner-up, and £21.5m for winning the competition.