Continental Football is Almost Back - So, When Are The Draws?
Premier League Blog
European Football is So Nearly Back, So When Will We Know Who’s Playing Who?
With three of the four EFL divisions already in full flow, and the Premier League destined to kick off on Friday evening, it is safe to say that the Domestic season is upon us.
To a certain demographic of Premier League fans, that can only mean one thing: that the European tournament draws are up next. Nine English teams, five (potentially six) Scottish teams, Larne (Northern Ireland) and Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) are less than two weeks away from finding out their league phase fixtures - if they qualify in the first place, that is.
Where and when do these draws take place, what time do they start, and what do the various unqualified sides require to be included in them?📈 Projected number of clubs in UEFA league stages 2026/27 per country (after Q3 draws):
— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) July 21, 2026
9️⃣ 🏴
8️⃣ 🇪🇸
7️⃣ 🇮🇹🇩🇪🇫🇷
6️⃣ 🇳🇱
5️⃣ 🇵🇹🇧🇪🇬🇷
4️⃣ 🇳🇴🇩🇰
3️⃣ 🇹🇷🏴🇨🇿🇦🇹🇵🇱
2️⃣ 🇨🇾🇦🇿🇭🇺🇮🇱
1️⃣ 🇺🇦🇭🇷🇷🇸🇸🇪🇸🇮🇨🇭🇷🇴🇸🇰🇧🇬🇮🇸🇮🇪🇦🇲🇧🇦🇽🇰🇰🇿🇫🇮🇬🇪🇫🇴
0️⃣ 🇱🇻🇦🇱🇦🇩🇧🇾🇪🇪🇬🇮🇱🇮🇱🇹☘️🇱🇺🇲🇹🇲🇩🇲🇪🇲🇰🏴🇸🇲
👉 Full details on projected paths and… pic.twitter.com/8BoUvHjXih
UEFA Champions League
The highest echelon of European competition, the Champions League league phase draw is naturally announced before its fellow UEFA competitions, with the final 36-team lineup being announced on Thursday 27th of August, a day after the final batch of qualifying fixtures.
Taking place at 5pm at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, it falls at the perfect time for a post-work drink, or gives you the perfect excuse to work late as you discover which eight teams stand between your side and the knockout rounds.
There are plenty of ways to watch the draw live, including through subscriptions to TNT Sports, Paramount+, and HBO Max, as well through any of UEFA’s official digital platforms, depending on location.
Wednesday’s bankers are locked in 🔒
— Football Park (@thefootballpark) August 19, 2026
Our VIP members have received today’s data-led selections, sent directly to their phones ahead of tonight’s action.
Want access to every VIP tip this season?
Join now 👇
🔗 [https://t.co/0GGhe44aeI]
18+ | https://t.co/ixnklA0POx pic.twitter.com/PPSjwgmG4W
In terms of English representation, Premier League champions and losing Champions League finalists Arsenal, five time winners Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa are already in the draw for the league phase, their performances and the Premier League qualification specifics meaning none of them were required to go through the qualifying rounds.
The same, however, cannot be said for Celtic, who as we speak are preparing for their final qualification double header against LASK, with the first leg occurring tonight, and the second on the 25th August. There is no other Great British or UK representation in the tournament this season.
UEFA Europa League
The middle child of the European family, the prodigious Europa League draw is announced a day later than its older sibling, with the draw going ahead at midday on Friday 28th August, once again from UEFA’s HQ in Switzerland.
Though there are fewer options for streaming if you wish to watch the draw, it can still be streamed through TNT Sports, UEFA’s website or YouTube, the latter two of which do not require a subscription to view.
Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace all have their names in the hat already, with the Black Cats and the Cherries qualifying through league position, while Crystal Palace arrive by virtue of the Conference League triumph last season under Olivier Glasner, where they beat Rayo Vallecano in the final.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗘𝗙𝗔 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆-𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲! 🏆🔥
— ExtraXTime (@FTextraTime) August 19, 2026
Twelve distinct ties start their engines on Thursday, with clubs from all over the continent fighting for ultimate survival. Form resets here.#UEL #UELPlayoffs #Benfica… pic.twitter.com/qsOPWLFE74
With Rangers knocked out in the penultimate round of qualifying, there is now no remaining UK or Great British representative in the qualifying rounds, meaning the burden falls entirely on the shoulders of the English trio.
UEFA Conference League
The newest member of the UEFA dynasty at just five seasons old, the UEFA Conference has been a refreshing blast of fresh air to the football community, providing an extra opportunity to clubs to win silverware who would otherwise come nowhere close.
As the smallest of the three tournaments by reputation, many would expect the Conference League league phase draw to be announced last, but it is in fact being drawn at the same time as the Europa League, starting at 12:00 BST on Friday 28th August.
Like the Europa League, the draw will be available to watch through the UEFA website or their YouTube channel, while those of you with TNT Sports subscriptions can watch it on the big screen.
Who will claim the Conference League league spots?
— Punctae (@punctae) August 19, 2026
We ran 100,000 simulations to estimate every team's chances of reaching the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League
The Conference League play-off winners qualify directly, while the losers of the Europa League play-offs will also join. pic.twitter.com/cQocEA7Vaw
The tournament is unique in that no club can automatically qualify for the league phase, with all of them having to go through the qualifying stages, whether it be from the start or joining midway through the stages after dropping out of the Europa League run-in.
There is British and Irish representation aplenty as we head into the final qualification stage, starting on Thursday evening. Brighton stand as the sole English rep, set to face Tromso in their battle for a spot in the main phase of the competition, while Scotland still has four names in the hat, with Rangers, Motherwell, Hearts and Hibernian all in with a chance of making the league phase.
As for Northern Ireland and Ireland, Larne and Shamrock Rovers are respective delegates, meaning that in total, the Great British contingent is made up of seven sides.
Ollie McCaw 
Jac Jones 
Alec Hayward 