Aston Villa will discover their eight Champions League league-phase opponents on Thursday evening, with the draw taking place from 5pm UK time. Unai Emery’s side have been placed in Pot 2 as they prepare for another European campaign following last season’s Europa League triumph.
UEFA has confirmed that the 2026/27 Champions League draw begins at 18:00 CET, which is 5pm BST, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Villa enter the competition during a summer of major change at Villa Park. We have already looked at how Aston Villa have rebuilt their squad ahead of the new campaign.
Aston Villa Champions League draw pots
Villa are one of nine teams in Pot 2, alongside Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
Pot 1 contains Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Each club will face eight different opponents, with two drawn from each of the four pots. Villa will play four matches at home and four away.
UEFA’s regulations state that clubs from the same association cannot normally face each other. That rules out Villa being paired with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United. Teams can also face a maximum of two clubs from any other association.
The league phase begins on 8 September and concludes on 27 January. UEFA will confirm the full fixture schedule, including dates and kick-off times, no later than Saturday, 29 August.
Villa’s preparations have accelerated this week, including an agreement to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea after Ollie Watkins’ proposed move to Al-Hilal. The £65million Jackson deal represents another major change to Emery’s attack.
How to watch the Aston Villa Champions League draw
Supporters can watch the draw live and free through UEFA.com and UEFA.tv. UEFA will also carry coverage through the Champions League app.
In the UK, TNT Sports has confirmed that the draw will also be shown on TNT Sports 1, with streaming available through HBO Max.
Villa will know their eight opponents on Thursday evening before the exact schedule follows later this week.
