UEFA Champions League, Europe 2026 – 2027
Source: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague
UEFA Champions League
The qualifying phase for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League runs from July 7 to August 26, 2026. A total of 52 teams compete across the qualifying rounds and play-offs – 42 via the Champions Path and 10 via the League Path – for the final 7 spots in the expanded 36-team league phase.
📅 2026/27 Qualifying Schedule
| Phase / Round | Draw Date | First Leg | Second Leg | Status |
| First Qualifying Round | 16 June 2026 | 7–8 July 2026 | 14–15 July 2026 | Completed |
| Second Qualifying Round | 17 June 2026 | 21–22 July 2026 | 28–29 July 2026 | In Progress |
| Third Qualifying Round | 20 July 2026 | 4–5 August 2026 | 11 August 2026 | Upcoming |
| Play-Off Round | 3 August 2026 | 18–19 August 2026 | 25–26 August 2026 | Upcoming |
The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League qualification phase is currently underway.
The tournament began with the early qualifying rounds in July 2026. The Play-off Round (1st Leg) completed on August 19, 2026, and the 2nd Leg matches are taking place on August 25–26, 2026, to determine the final teams advancing to the League Phase.
Play-off Round Results
1st Leg Results (August 18–19, 2026)
| Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|
| Levski Sofia 🇧🇬 | 0 – 0 | AEK Athens 🇬🇷 |
| Dinamo Zagreb 🇭🇷 | 2 – 2 | Viking FK 🇳🇴 |
| Fenerbahçe 🇹🇷 | 1 – 1 | Olympique Lyonnais 🇫🇷 |
| Celtic 🏴 | 3 – 0 | LASK 🇦🇹 |
| Slovan Bratislava 🇸🇰 | 1 – 1 | NK Celje 🇸🇮 |
| Hapoel Be’er Sheva 🇮🇱 | 2 – 1 | Sabah FK 🇦🇿 |
| NEC Nijmegen 🇳🇱 | 1 – 3 | Bodø/Glimt 🇳🇴 |
Key Third Qualifying Round Aggregate Results (Completed August 26, 2026)
| Date | Match | Result | Aggregate | Qualified |
| Tue, Aug 25 | Sabah FK vs. Hapoel Be’er Sheva | 5–2 (AET) | 6–4 | Sabah FK 🇦🇿 |
| Tue, Aug 25 | FK Bodø/Glimt vs. NEC Nijmegen | 3–0 | 6–1 | FK Bodø/Glimt 🇳🇴 |
| Tue, Aug 25 | LASK vs. Celtic F.C. | 5–1 (AET) | 5–4 | LASK 🇦🇹 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | AEK Athens vs. PFC Levski Sofia | 4–0 | 4–0 | AEK Athens 🇬🇷 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | Olympique Lyonnais vs. Fenerbahçe SK | 1–2 | 2–3 | Fenerbahçe SK 🇹🇷 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | Viking FK vs. GNK Dinamo Zagreb | 3–1 | 5–3 | Viking FK 🇳🇴 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | NK Celje vs. ŠK Slovan Bratislava | 1–2 (AET) | 2–3 | ŠK Slovan Bratislava 🇸🇰 |
League phase begins September 8–10, 2026
The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase took place on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. All 36 qualified clubs learned their eight opponents for the opening phase.
Under the expanded 36-team single-table league format, each team plays eight total matches (four home, four away) against two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots.
Highlights of Key Opponents
- Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷: Barcelona (H), Manchester City (A), Roma (H), Aston Villa (A), Galatasaray (H), Villarreal (A), Slovan Bratislava (H), Como (A). The Economic Times
- Real Madrid 🇪🇸: Inter Milan (H), Arsenal (A), PSV Eindhoven (H), Roma (A), RB Leipzig (H), Shakhtar Donetsk (A), LASK (H), AEK Athens (A). The Economic Times
- Bayern Munich 🇩🇪: Arsenal (H), Atletico Madrid (A), Real Betis (H), Manchester United (A), Bodø/Glimt (H), Lille (A), Slavia Prague (H), Viking (A). The Economic Times
- Manchester United 🏴: Bayern Munich (H), Atletico Madrid (A), Roma (H), Sporting CP (A), RB Leipzig (H), Villarreal (A), Sabah (H), Como (A). The Economic Times
Competition Schedule
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | Sept 8–10, 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | Oct 13–14, 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | Oct 20–21, 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | Nov 3–4, 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | Nov 24–25, 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | Dec 8–9, 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | Jan 19–20, 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | Jan 27, 2027 |
| Knockout Play-offs | Feb 16–17 & 23–24, 2027 |
| Round of 16 | Mar 9–10 & 16–17, 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | Apr 6–7 & 13–14, 2027 |
| Semi-finals | Apr 27–28 & May 4–5, 2027 |
| Final | June 5, 2027 (Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid) |
The top 8 teams in the overall league standings progress directly to the Round of 16, while teams finishing 9th to 24th advance to the knockout play-offs.
