Football’s biggest club competition returns for the 2026-2027 season as the UEFA Champions League gets under way next month, with the draw for the main round taking place on Thursday.Back-to-back champions Paris Saint-Germain are chasing a historic third consecutive title, while European giants Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich will look to dethrone the two-time champions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Cameroon international Carlos Baleba joins Manchester United from Brightonlist 2 of 4Big-spending Tottenham sign Brazilian winger Savinho from Manchester Citylist 3 of 4Ex-Liverpool star Fabinho reunited with Mohamed Salah at Trabzonsporlist 4 of 4Transfer target Julian Alvarez booed by fans in Atletico Madrid drawend of listThe league phase format, now in its third year, will begin in September and run until January. It will be followed by the knockout rounds, with the champions crowned in early June.Here’s all you need to know about this year’s draw:Paris St Germain’s Achraf Hakimi lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the UEFA Champions League on May 30, 2026 [Andrew Boyers/Reuters]When and where is the Champions League draw?The main round fixtures will be drawn on August 27 at 6pm (17:00 GMT) at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.How does Champions League qualifying work?Of the 36 competing teams, 29 qualified with their rankings in their respective national leagues. The remaining seven spots were up for grabs in a qualifying competition that began earlier this month and will conclude less than 24 hours before the draw.Bodo/Glimt, LASK and Sabah became the latest teams to book their place in the elite competition, leaving eight teams to battle it out for the last four places on Wednesday.Which teams have qualified for the Champions League?