2025–26 UEFA Conference League knockout phase
Europe premier club football tournament
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The 2025–26 UEFA Conference League knockout phase began on 19 February with the knockout phase play-offs and will end on 27 May 2026 with the final at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, to decide the champions of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League.[1] A total of 24 teams will compete in the knockout phase, with 16 entering in the play-offs and 8 receiving a bye to the round of 16.[2]
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Qualified teams
The knockout phase involves the top 24 teams that qualified from the league phase. The top 8 teams received a bye to the round of 16, while teams finishing in positions 9 to 24 entered the knockout phase play-offs.
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Strasbourg |
| 2 |  Raków Częstochowa |
| 3 |  AEK Athens |
| 4 |  Sparta Prague |
| 5 |  Rayo Vallecano |
| 6 |  Shakhtar Donetsk |
| 7 |  Mainz 05 |
| 8 |  AEK Larnaca |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 9 |  Lausanne-Sport |
| 10 |  Crystal Palace |
| 11 | Lech Poznań |
| 12 |  Samsunspor |
| 13 |  Celje |
| 14 |  AZ |
| 15 |  Fiorentina |
| 16 |  Rijeka |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 17 | Jagiellonia Białystok |
| 18 | Omonia |
| 19 |  Noah |
| 20 |  Drita |
| 21 |  KuPS |
| 22 |  Shkëndija |
| 23 |  Zrinjski Mostar |
| 24 | Sigma Olomouc |
Format
Each tie in the knockout phase, apart from the final, is played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the next round. If the aggregate score is level, then 30 minutes of extra time is played (the away goals rule is not applied). If the score is still level at the end of extra time, the winners are decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the final, which is played as a single match, if the score is level at the end of normal time, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level.[2]
Draw procedure
In the knockout phase, there is no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams can also face opponents they played during the league phase.
The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:[2]
- In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 were seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 were unseeded. The draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
- In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 were seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs were unseeded. Again, the draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, both the exact match pairings and order of legs were predetermined based on the tournament bracket. The teams with the better league phase ranking will play the second leg of each round at home if they continue advancing. Should a seeded team be beaten, the team that eliminates them will take over their seeding position. The winner of semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes, as it is played at a neutral venue).
In the knockout phase, teams from the same or nearby cities are not scheduled to play at home on the same day or on consecutive days, due to logistics and crowd control.[2]: Art. 24.02 To avoid such scheduling conflict, if the two teams were drawn to play at home for the same leg, the home match of the team that had the lower league phase ranking (if in the same competition) or the team playing in lower tier competition (Conference League) was moved from Thursday from a regularly scheduled time to an earlier time slot, to a different day, and/or at an alternative venue without clashing any other competition. However, a fixture reversal only applies if a team qualified to play the second leg at home decides to inform the UEFA administration before the draw to reverse the tie and play the first leg at home and not a second leg at an alternative venue.[3]
Predetermined pairings
The bracket structure for the knockout phase was partially fixed in advance using seeding, with a symmetrical pattern on both sides.[2] Teams' positions in the bracket were determined by their final standings in the league phase, ensuring that higher-ranked teams face lower-ranked opponents in earlier rounds. As a result, certain sets of teams, such as the top two from the league phase, cannot meet until the final.
The structure of each side of the bracket can be summarised as follows, with the exact pairings of the play-offs and round of 16 determined by a draw:[note 2]
- Knockout phase play-offs
- Pairing I: 9/10 vs 23/24
- Pairing II: 11/12 vs 21/22
- Pairing III: 13/14 vs 19/20
- Pairing IV: 15/16 vs 17/18
- Round of 16
- Pairing A: 1/2 vs Winner IV
- Pairing B: 3/4 vs Winner III
- Pairing C: 5/6 vs Winner II
- Pairing D: 7/8 vs Winner I
- Quarter-finals
- Pairing 1: Winner A vs Winner D
- Pairing 2: Winner B vs Winner C
- Semi-finals: Winner 1 vs Winner 2
Schedule
The schedule is as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[1]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knockout phase play-offs | 16 January 2026 | 19 February 2026 | 26 February 2026 |
| Round of 16 | 27 February 2026 | 12 March 2026 | 19 March 2026 |
| Quarter-finals | N/a | 9 April 2026 | 16 April 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 30 April 2026 | 7 May 2026 | |
| Final | 27 May 2026 at Red Bull Arena, Leipzig | ||
Bracket
| Knockout phase play-offs | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | KuPS | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Lech Poznań | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | Lech Poznań | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | Noah | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | AZ | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | AZ | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | AZ | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sparta Prague | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | Zrinjski Mostar | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | Crystal Palace (a.e.t.) | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | AEK Larnaca | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Fiorentina | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Fiorentina (a.e.t.) | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | Fiorentina | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 May – Leipzig | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Raków Częstochowa | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Winner SF1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | Shkëndija | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winner SF2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Samsunspor | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | Samsunspor | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rayo Vallecano | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rayo Vallecano | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Drita | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | AEK Athens | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Celje | 3 | 3 | 6 | 13 | Celje | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | AEK Athens | 4 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rayo Vallecano | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Sigma Olomouc | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Strasbourg | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Lausanne-Sport | 1 | 1 | 2 | 24 | Sigma Olomouc | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Mainz 05 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Mainz 05 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Omonia | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Strasbourg | 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Rijeka | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | Rijeka | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Strasbourg | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Knockout phase play-offs
The draw for the knockout phase play-offs was held on 16 January 2026, 13:00 CET.[4]
Seeding
The draw was split into four seeded and four unseeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase. Teams were allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 9 to 16 were seeded (playing the second legs at home), while teams in positions 17 to 24 were unseeded. The draw began with the unseeded teams, allocating them all to a tie. Once completed, all the seeded teams were drawn into a tie as their opponents. For political reasons, clubs from Gibraltar–Spain and Kosovo–Bosnia and Herzegovina could not be drawn against each other. Consequently, Zrinjski Mostar and Drira had to be drawn into opposite sides of the bracket.[5]
| 9/10 vs 23/24 | 11/12 vs 21/22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| 13/14 vs 19/20 | 15/16 vs 17/18 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
Summary
The first legs were played on 19 February, and the second legs were played on 26 February 2026.[6]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KuPS | 0–3 | Lech Poznań | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Noah | 1–4 | AZ | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Zrinjski Mostar | 1–3 | Crystal Palace | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 4–5 | Fiorentina | 0–3 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Shkëndija | 0–5 | Samsunspor | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Drita | 4–6 | Celje | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| Sigma Olomouc | 3–2 | Lausanne-Sport | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Omonia | 1–4 | Rijeka | 0–1 | 1–3 |
Matches
| KuPS | 0–2 | Lech Poznań |
|---|---|---|
| Report[7] |
Lech Poznań won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Noah | 1–0 | AZ |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[11] |
AZ won 4–1 on aggregate.
| Zrinjski Mostar | 1–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[15] |
|
Crystal Palace won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 0–3 | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
| Report[19] |
|
Fiorentina won 5–4 on aggregate.
| Shkëndija | 0–1 | Samsunspor |
|---|---|---|
| Report[23] |
|
| Samsunspor | 4–0 | Shkëndija |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[26] |
Samsunspor won 5–0 on aggregate.
| Celje | 3–2 | Drita |
|---|---|---|
| Report[31] |
|
Celje won 6–4 on aggregate.
| Sigma Olomouc | 1–1 | Lausanne-Sport |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[33] |
|
Sigma Olomouc won 3–2 on aggregate.
Rijeka won 4–1 on aggregate.
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 27 February 2026, 14:00 CET.[41]
Seeding
As the bracket was fixed, the draw contained only four seeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase, with the top eight teams allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 1 to 8 were seeded (playing the second legs at home), while the bracket positions of the winners of the knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) were predetermined. The top eight teams were drawn into the bracket against one of their two possible opponents.[42]
| 1/2 vs 15/16/17/18 | 3/4 vs 13/14/19/20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Predetermined | Seeded | Predetermined |
| 5/6 vs 11/12/21/22 | 7/8 vs 9/10/23/24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Predetermined | Seeded | Predetermined |
Summary
The first legs were played on 12 March, and the second legs were played on 19 March 2026.[43]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lech Poznań | 3–4 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| AZ | 6–1 | Sparta Prague | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Crystal Palace | 2–1 | AEK Larnaca | 0–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Fiorentina | 4–2 | Raków Częstochowa | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Samsunspor | 2–3 | Rayo Vallecano | 1–3 | 1–0 |
| Celje | 2–4 | AEK Athens | 0–4 | 2–0 |
| Sigma Olomouc | 0–2 | Mainz 05 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Rijeka | 2–3 | Strasbourg | 1–2 | 1–1 |
Matches
| Lech Poznań | 1–3 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[44] |
|
Shakhtar Donetsk won 4–3 on aggregate.
| AZ | 2–1 | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[49] |
|
AZ won 6–1 on aggregate.
| Crystal Palace | 0–0 | AEK Larnaca |
|---|---|---|
| Report[53] |
Crystal Palace won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Fiorentina | 2–1 | Raków Częstochowa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[57] |
|
Fiorentina won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Samsunspor | 1–3 | Rayo Vallecano |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[61] |
Rayo Vallecano won 3–2 on aggregate.
| AEK Athens | 0–2 | Celje |
|---|---|---|
| Report[67] |
|
AEK Athens won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Sigma Olomouc | 0–0 | Mainz 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[69] |
Mainz 05 won 2–0 on aggregate.
| Rijeka | 1–2 | Strasbourg |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[73] |
|
Strasbourg won 3–2 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
Summary
The first legs were played on 9 April, and the second legs were played on 16 April 2026.[77]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 5–2 | AZ | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| Crystal Palace | 4–2 | Fiorentina | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 4–3 | AEK Athens | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Mainz 05 | 2–4 | Strasbourg | 2–0 | 0–4 |
Matches
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3–0 | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Report[78] |
| AZ | 2–2 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[80] |
|
Shakhtar Donetsk won 5–2 on aggregate.
| Crystal Palace | 3–0 | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
| Report[82] |
| Fiorentina | 2–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[84] |
|
Crystal Palace won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Rayo Vallecano | 3–0 | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[86] |
Rayo Vallecano won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Mainz 05 | 2–0 | Strasbourg |
|---|---|---|
| Report[90] |
Strasbourg won 4–2 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
Summary
The first legs were played on 30 April, and the second legs will be played on 7 May 2026.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | Crystal Palace | 1–3 | 7 May |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2 | Strasbourg | 1–0 | 7 May |
Matches
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 1–3 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[94] |
|
| Crystal Palace | v | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[96] |
| Rayo Vallecano | 1–0 | Strasbourg |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[97] |
| Strasbourg | v | Rayo Vallecano |
|---|---|---|
| Report[99] |
Final
The final will be played on 27 May 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. The winner of semi-final 1 is designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.
| Winner SF1 | v | Winner SF2 |
|---|---|---|
Notes
- The draws determine the exact play-off and round of 16 pairings for each side of the bracket, which mirror each other. For example, if the team in 9th is drawn against 23rd in the play-offs, the team in 10th will be drawn against 24th on the other side of the bracket.
- KuPS played their home matches at Tammelan Stadion, Tampere, instead of their regular stadium, Kuopio Football Stadium, Kuopio, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Noah played their home matches at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, instead of their regular stadium, Armavir City Stadium, Armavir, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Shkëndija played their home matches at Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, instead of their regular stadium, Ecolog Arena, Tetovo, due to renovation works.[24]
- Drita played their home matches at Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, instead of their regular stadium, Gjilan City Stadium, Gjilan, due to renovation works.[29]
- Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues.[47] Therefore, Shakhtar Donetsk played their home matches at Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium, Kraków, Poland, instead of their regular stadium, Donbas Arena, Donetsk.
- Raków Częstochowa played their home match at Zagłębie Sports Park, Sosnowiec, instead of their regular stadium, Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków, Częstochowa, which did not meet UEFA requirements.