The draw for the 2027 Champions League Group Stage has been conducted in Zagreb.
Barceloneta, the reigning champion, faces a tough task after being placed in a group with three clubs from the former Yugoslavia. Those are Mladost and Jadran Split, the two best teams from Croatia, as well as Novi Beograd, a three-time Champions League runner-up and the current runner-up in the Serbian League.
Anyway, the Spaniards are the top favorites for 1st place, but it’s expected they will have three very demanding away matches.
2027 Champions League, Groups
Group A: Waspo 98 Hannover, Jadran Herceg Novi, Olympiacos,Sabadell.
Group B: Oradea, Brescia, Radnicki, Pro Recco.
Group C: Barceloneta, Mladost Zagreb, Novi Beograd, Jadran Split.
Group D: Marseille, Ferencvaros, Panathinaikos, Steaua
The participants in the 2026 Final Four — Barceloneta, Pro Recco, Ferencvaros and Olympiacos — were placed in Pot 1 for the draw.
Pot 2 consisted of Marseille, Mladost, Radnički and Waspo Hannover.
Two national champions — Jadran Herceg Novi and Steaua — were placed in Pot 3, alongside the two best-placed qualifiers according to the EA Rankings, Novi Beograd and Brescia.
Pot 4 consisted of Panathinaikos, Oradea, Sabadell and Jadran Split.
Besdes the clashes between Jadran S and Mladost, there will be Italian derbies in the Group Stage, as Pro Recco and Brescia were drawn into the same group, along with one of the favorites, Radnicki, and Oradea.
Group D will also be very interesting, as it will see encounters between Ferencvaros, Marseille (Euro Cup winner) and Panathinaikos, which doesn’t have a rich tradition, but it has a strong squad.
The Champions League Group Stage begins on October 6/7, and the 6th round will be played on December 15/16. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Quarter Final Stage, and the remaining eight clubs will play in the Euro Cup eighth-finals.
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