AEK Athens will be placed in Pot 4 for Thursday's UEFA Champions League draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The draw takes place at 19:00 on August 27, 2026, the day after the qualification play-offs concluded.
The Greek club will face eight opponents in the expanded league phase, drawing two teams from each of the four seeding pots. AEK will play four matches at home and four matches away.
The four seeding pots feature Europe's top clubs across the continent. Pot 1 includes Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid.
Pot 2 consists of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting CP, Porto, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, and Real Betis.
Pot 3 contains Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Bodø/Glimt.
AEK are placed in Pot 4 alongside Viking, Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Stuttgart, LASK Linz, Como, Lens, and Sabah. Fenerbahçe, Viking, and Slovan Bratislava also secured their places in the league phase alongside AEK.
League Phase and Knockout Schedule
The league phase opens with matchday 1 from September 8 to September 10, 2026. Matchday 2 will take place on October 13 and 14, followed by matchday 3 on October 20 and 21, and matchday 4 on November 3 and 4.
The competition continues with matchday 5 on November 24 and 25, matchday 6 on December 8 and 9, matchday 7 on January 19 and 20, 2027, and the final league matchday on January 27, 2027.
The knockout play-offs will take place on February 16 and 17 for the first legs, with second legs on February 23 and 24, 2027. The round of 16 follows on March 9 and 10 and March 16 and 17, 2027.
Quarter-finals will be played on April 6 and 7 and April 13 and 14, 2027, while semi-finals take place on April 27 and 28 and May 4 and 5, 2027. The final will take place on June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
AEK Qualification and Reaction
AEK secured their place in the league phase after a 4-0 win over Levski Sofia on August 26, 2026. The result also earned the club more than 20 million euros in guaranteed revenue, with further earnings tied to performance.
After the match, AEK owner Marios Iliopoulos went down to the bench and embraced the players. He described the victory as a historic night and said this was the AEK that club management envisioned.
AEK manager Nikolic said the club had earned its place among Europe's elite, but emphasized that the team must stay competitive, push for more success, and maintain focus on the domestic league.
AEK defender Lazaros Rota said he hoped to draw teams featuring Christos Tzolis and Giannis Konstantelias, adding that he wanted to make things difficult for his friends, including Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas.
AEK's victory also boosted Greece in the UEFA country rankings, with further progress depending on upcoming European results for Panathinaikos and PAOK.
European Transfer and Team News
In other developments, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai praised Barnabás Varga for his goals, encouraging his team-mate to keep scoring.
Olympiacos completed the signing of Portuguese winger Jota Silva on a contract running through 2029. However, the Piraeus club failed to convince Colombian midfielder Gustavo Puerta, despite a 16 million euro offer.
Panathinaikos agreed to transfer midfielder Tonny Vilhena to Dutch club Willem II.
Ahead of upcoming fixtures, PAOK player Lisi said his side would handle the pressure against Norwegian team Brann. Panathinaikos manager Nistrup stated that his team would win against Hradec if they played to their level, while OFI coach Kontis noted that their tie against CSKA Sofia was tied at 0-0 heading into the second leg.
Former German international Lothar Matthäus praised young Greek talents Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas. Matthäus said people across Greece spoke about both players while he was on holiday, calling them exceptional prospects.
Background Context
AEK Athens are one of Greece's most prominent football clubs, based in the capital city of Athens. The UEFA Champions League is Europe's primary international club tournament, bringing together top teams from across the continent. The final venue, the Metropolitano Stadium, is located in Madrid and serves as the home ground for Spanish club Atlético Madrid. The draw location, the Grimaldi Forum, is a modern conference facility situated in the principality of Monaco on the French Riviera.
