The league phase: one table of 36
Since 2024/25 the Champions League has replaced the old eight groups of four with a single league phase. All 36 teams sit in one table.
Every team plays 8 matches — but not against everyone. Teams are seeded into 4 pots of 9 based on their UEFA coefficient (the title holder is top-seeded in Pot 1). Each team faces 2 opponents from every pot: one at home and one away. That gives 4 home and 4 away matches.
Draw constraints
The draw is not fully random. Two rules protect it: a team can never be drawn against a club from its own country, and it can face at most 2 clubs from any single other country.
Association (country) protection applies in the league-phase draw only — there is no country protection once the knockouts begin.
Qualifying for the knockouts
After the 8 matches, the single table decides everything. The top 8 qualify directly for the Round of 16.
Teams ranked 9th to 24th enter the knockout play-offs (a two-legged round); 9th–16th are seeded and 17th–24th are unseeded. The 8 play-off winners join the top 8 in the Round of 16. Teams ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated.
The knockout bracket
From the Round of 16 onwards it is a classic bracket: Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a single-match final. The path is set by seeding, and the quarter-final and semi-final home/away order is drawn.
When is each stage played?
As a rule of thumb the league phase runs from September to late January, the knockout play-offs in February, and the Round of 16 through to the final from March to late May/early June. Exact dates change each season.
Frequently asked questions
How many matches does each team play in the league phase?
Eight — two opponents from each of the four pots, one home and one away.
How many teams qualify for the Round of 16?
16: the top 8 go through directly, and 8 more come from the knockout play-offs (teams ranked 9th–24th).
Can two teams from the same country be drawn together?
Not in the league phase — a club never faces a team from its own country, and no more than 2 from any other single country. In the knockouts there is no country protection.
Play the 2026/27 season yourself
Enter the scores and watch the table rank live, or draw the league phase and knockouts with a rule-accurate animation.