Champions League 2026-27: From Real Madrid to Sabah, meet the 36 teams

Monaco: A total of 36 teams will compete in the league phase of the Champions League this season, with Paris Saint-Germain beginning their bid for an unprecedented third consecutive European title and the continent's biggest clubs once again dominating the field.

PSG retained the European Cup last season after beating Arsenal on penalties in the final in Budapest and will now attempt to match a feat last achieved by Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018.

"We have won the last two, which means we can win a third. It will be very hard, but that is our ambition," PSG coach Luis Enrique told reporters earlier this month.

The 36-team field includes five clubs each from England and Spain, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United representing the Premier League.

Spain's representatives are Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Betis, Real Madrid and Villarreal.

Germany has Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Stuttgart, while Italy is represented by Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma and debutants Como, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona and Spain star Cesc Fabregas.

France has PSG, Lens and Lille, while Porto and Sporting Lisbon represent Portugal. The Netherlands has PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, while Turkey is represented by Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.

The remaining places go to Bodø/Glimt and Viking of Norway, Club Brugge of Belgium, Slavia Prague of the Czech Republic, Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, LASK of Austria, Sabah of Azerbaijan, AEK Athens of Greece and Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia.

Como will make their first appearance in the competition after disrupting the established order in Italy, while Azerbaijan's Sabah are also making their Champions League debut after progressing through four qualifying ties.

LASK will likewise feature in the competition proper for the first time after a comeback victory over Celtic in the play-offs.

This is the third season under the Champions League's new format, with all 36 clubs placed in a single league and each team playing eight matches against different opponents.

The league phase begins from September 8 to 10 and concludes in late January. The final is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium.

The draw takes place in Monaco on Thursday, with Europe's leading clubs set to discover their opponents for the league phase.