Barcelona have secured a place in Pot 1 for the league phase draw of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season.
This development comes as a result of AS Roma’s failure to qualify on the final matchday of the Serie A campaign.
In a twist of fate echoing last season, Roma once again narrowly missed out on Champions League football.
A year ago, their hopes were dashed when Atalanta surged into the top four, pushing Roma out of contention.
This time, it was Juventus who claimed the fourth spot in Italy’s top flight, relegating Roma to another stint in the UEFA Europa League.
UEFA awards Pot 1 status to the reigning Champions League winners and the top eight clubs based on European performances over the last five seasons.
With Roma ranked ninth and Barcelona sitting 10th, the Italian side’s failure to qualify hands the Catalans a spot among the top seeds.
Chelsea and Manchester City will also be in Pot 1.
However, seeding doesn’t shield teams from facing each other during the new league phase format. The teams in Pot 1 are not prevented from playing each other.
The official draw for the league phase is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 28.
Pot 1 features:
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Paris Saint-Germain
Internazionale
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Pot 2 includes:
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atlético Madrid
Benfica (must come through qualifying)
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Club Brugge (must come through qualifying)
Rangers (must come through qualifying)
Shakhtar Donetsk (must come through qualifying)
The composition of Pots 3 and 4 will depend on the outcome of the qualifying rounds.
However, some clubs are already certain of their placement. Ajax Amsterdam, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, and Marseille are confirmed for Pot 3.
Pot 4 is the likely destination for:
Celtic, AS Monaco, Athletic Club, and Newcastle United.
