UEFA Conference League Draw: Date, time, teams, pots, format and more

The UEFA Conference League will continue with the new format in the 2025/26 season following the introduction of a single 36-team league phase.

The first edition of the tournament since changing its name from the UEFA Europa Conference League, the third tier European club competition has adopted a new 'Swiss system' structure along with the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

This new competition structure will see the UEFA Conference League group stage become a single 36-team league phase, with each team playing six matches - three at home and three away.

The top eight in the league will advance straight through to the round of 16, those ranking ninth to 24th will contest knockout play-offs, and the remaining eight teams will be eliminated.

When is the UEFA Conference League draw?

The league phase draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League will take place on Friday 29th August.

What time is the UEFA Conference League draw?

The UEFA Conference League draw time will be confirmed closer to the time, but will be on Friday 29th August.

How to watch UEFA Conference League draw and TV channel

The league phase draw of the UEFA Conference League will be available to watch live on TNT Sports 1 as well as UEFA.com.

What teams are in the UEFA Conference League draw?

The 36 teams in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League will be confirmed after the qualifying rounds, but will be comprised of:

• Five winners from the Champions Path play-off round
• 19 winners from the Main Path play-off round
• 12 teams eliminated from the Europa League play-off round

Last season's teams:

Pot 1:

• Chelsea
• Copenhagen
• Gent
• Fiorentina
• LASK
• Real Betis

Pot 2:

• Istanbul Basaksehir
• Molde
• Legia Warsaw
• Heidenheim
• Djurgardens
• APOEL

Pot 3:

• Rapid Wien
• Omonia
• HJK
• Vitoria de Guimaraes
• Astana
• Olimpija Ljubljana

Pot 4:

• Cercle Brugge
• Shamrock Rovers
• The New Saints
• Lugano
• Heart of Midlothian
• Mlada Boleslav

Pot 5:

• Petrocub Hincesti
• St Gallen
• Panathinaikos
• TSC
• Borac Banja Luka
• Jagiellonia Bialystok

Pot 6:

• Celje
• Larne
• Dinamo Minsk
• Pafos
• Vikingur Reykjavik
• Noah

How does the UEFA Conference League draw work?

In the league phase of the UEFA Conference League, teams will be seeded in six pots, with each team facing six opponents - one from each pot.

In the league phase teams cannot be drawn against opponents from their own country and can only be drawn against a maximum of two opponents from the same country,

All 36 teams will be manually drawn using physical balls, but designated automated software will randomly draw their opponents.

This software will also determine which teams play at home and away for each match.