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Liverpool will discover its Champions League opponents for the group phase of the tournament later this month. And the list of options is set to shorten in the next two midweeks.
A total of 29 teams have already confirmed their place in the draw, which will be held on August 28. A further 14 are competing for the final seven spots in the 36-team competition, whose format was changed last season.
Each team will face eight others in the group phase again between September and January. A table is drawn up including all 36 teams, even though not everyone plays the same fixtures.
There is now only the final play-off round remaining. Those ties will take place on August 19 and 20, and then the following midweek — on the 26th and 27th.
The play-off round winners will head into the Champions League and the losers will drop into the Europa League, with both competitions played in the same one-table format. The ties are as follows.
- Basel vs Copenhagen
- Bodo/Glimt vs Sturm Graz
- Celtic vs Kairat
- Ferencvaros vs Qarabag
- Fenerbahce vs Benfica
- Rangers vs Club Brugge
- Red Star Belgrade vs Pafos
So far, the 29 teams who have already qualified for the tournament are below. They will be seeded into four groups so every team plays two sides from each pot.
England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, Villarreal
Italy: Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Juventus
Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Monaco
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Netherlands: PSV, Ajax
Portugal: Sporting CP
Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise
Turkiye: Galatasaray
Czechia: Slavia Praha
Greece: Olympiacos
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase play-off to secure their path to that part of the competition.
Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, with no access to the UEFA Europa League. Last year, Liverpool finished top of the group phase but was then eliminated by eventual winners PSG.
The final is in Budapest, Hungary, next May. In 2027, it was reported last week that the Wanda Metropolitano was set to be chosen for that edition's showpiece game. Liverpool won the Champions League there in 2019 under Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool.com says: The new-look tournament was an improvement in some ways last year. Playing eight different teams in the group shakes things up a little and means more variety.
This year, Liverpool will be right up there among the favorites. Arne Slot will want to go further than the first knockout round this time and will hope to be a little more fortunate with the draw.
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