To keep you up to date with every step on the road to the final, your friends at Flashscore have put together everything you need to know about the 2026/27 Champions League season.
Champions League 2026/27 qualifying: How does it work?
A total of 29 teams have already qualified directly for the league phase. The remaining seven places will be decided during the qualifying phase, which concludes with the play-offs in August. Clubs enter the competition according to the club coefficient ranking of their national association.
All qualifying ties are played over two legs.
Champions League 2026/27 qualifying rounds and play-offs dates
First qualifying round: 7/8 and 14/15th July 2026
Second qualifying round: 21/22 and 28/29th July 2026
Third qualifying round: 4/5thand 11th August 2026
Play-offs: 18/19th and 25/26th August 2026
Which teams have qualified?
The following teams have qualified for the Champions League proper:
Arsenal (England); Manchester City (England); Manchester United (England); Aston Villa (England); Liverpool (England); Real Madrid (Spain); FC Barcelona (Spain); Atletico Madrid (Spain); Villarreal (Spain); Real Betis (Spain); Inter Milan (Italy); Napoli (Italy); AS Roma (Italy); Como (Italy); Bayern Munich (Germany); Borussia Dortmund (Germany); RB Leipzig (Germany); VfB Stuttgart (Germany); Paris Saint-Germain (France); RC Lens (France); LOSC Lille (France); PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands); Feyenoord (Netherlands); FC Porto (Portugal); Sporting CP (Portugal); Club Brugge (Belgium); Galatasaray (Turkey); Fenerbahce (Turkey); Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine); Slavia Prague (Czechia): Bodo/Glimt (Norway); Viking (Norway); LASK (Austria); Sabah Baku (Azerbaijan); Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia); AEK Athens (Greece)
The format of the Champions League
The teams who finish in the top eight of the league phase after the eight Matchdays qualify for the Champions League's Round of 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.
Champions League 2026/27 league phase: When is it played?
The Champions League 2026/27 league phase will be played across eight matchdays:
Matchday 1: September 8th-10th, 2026
Matchday 2: October 13th-14th, 2026
Matchday 3: November 20th-21st, 2026
Matchday 4: November 3rd-4th, 2026
Matchday 5: November 24th-25th, 2026
Matchday 6: December 8th-9th, 2026
Matchday 7: January 19th-20th, 2027
Matchday 8: January 27th, 2027
Champions League 2026/27 league phase draw: How does it work?
UEFA splits the 36 teams into four pots of nine based on its club coefficient ranking. Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, drawing two teams from each pot — one at home and one away. Clubs cannot normally face another team from the same country.
After the eight matchdays, the teams finishing in the top eight qualify directly for the Round of 16. Those finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs, while the teams ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated.
Champions League 2026/27 draws
The league-phase draw will take place on Thursday, August 27th, at 17:00 BST in Monaco.
The other draw dates are:
First qualifying round: June 16th, 2026
Second qualifying round: June 17th, 2026
Third qualifying round: July 20th, 2026
Play-offs: August 3rd, 2026
The dates for the knockout phase draws have not yet been confirmed.
Champions League 2026/27 knockouts: When are they played?
The Champions League 2026/27 knockout phase will take place on the following dates:
Knockout play-offs: February 16/17th and 23/24th, 2027
Round of 16: March 9/10th and 16/17th, 2027
Quarter-finals: April 6/7th and 13/14th, 2027
Semi-finals: April 27/28th and 4/5th May, 2027
Final: June 5th, 2027
Champions League 2026/27 final venue and date
The Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atlético Madrid, will host the 2026/27 Champions League final on Saturday, June 5th 2027.
This will be the second time the stadium has hosted the Champions League final. The first was in 2019, when Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0.
