2026–27 UEFA Champions League league phase
International football club competition in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League league phase began on 8 September 2026 and will end on 27 January 2027. A total of 36 teams are competing in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League.
Real Betis made their first appearance in the Champions League since the 2005–06 season.[1] Como, LASK, Sabah and Viking made their debut appearances in the league phase/group stage.[2] For the first season since 1999–2000, Norway has two clubs in the Champions League main stage.[3] Additionally, two Turkish sides qualified for the main phase for the first time since the 2007–08 season.[4] The Greek champions, AEK Athens, return to the UEFA Champions League after an eight-year absence.[5]
A total of 16 national associations are being represented in the league phase.
Format
Each team will play eight matches, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table. Teams were separated into four pots based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients, and each team will play two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away. The top eight teams in the standings will receive a bye directly to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw while teams ranked 17th to 24th are not. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th will be eliminated from European competition.
Tiebreakers
Teams will be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[6]
While the league phase was in progress, teams were ranked according to criteria 1–5 only, and if still tied, were given equal ranking and sorted alphabetically. Criteria 6–10 were only used after the final matches took place.
- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Away goals scored;
- Wins;
- Away wins;
- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;
- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;
- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;
- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card or expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Teams and seeding
The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each, with the Champions League title holders automatically placed as the top seed of pot 1. All remaining teams were allocated to pots based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients.[7] The participants include:
- 29 teams which entered at this stage
- 7 winners of the play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 2 from the League Path)
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Teams ranked 1 to 8 advance to the round of 16 as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 9 to 16 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 17 to 24 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as an unseeded team |
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|
|
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Notes
- TH Champions League title holders (automatic top seed of pot 1)
- EL Europa League title holders
- CH Winners of the play-off round (Champions Path)
- LP Winners of the play-off round (League Path)
Draw
The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 27 August 2026, with Thierry Henry, the UEFA President's Awardee, and David Villa as drawing guests.[8]
League phase table
The top eight ranked teams receive a bye directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked from 9th to 24th contest the knockout phase play-offs, with teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paris Saint-Germain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 3 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) |
| 2 |  Bayern Munich |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Barcelona |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Manchester United |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 | |
| 5 |  Como |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 | |
| 6 |  Sporting CP |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 6 | VfB Stuttgart |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 8 | Manchester City |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | |
| 9 | Aston Villa |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) |
| 9 | Lens |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 9 | Real Betis |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 12 | Borussia Dortmund |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 13 | Liverpool |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 13 | Real Madrid |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 15 | Arsenal |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 16 |  AEK Athens |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | |
| 17 | Roma |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) |
| 17 |  Shakhtar Donetsk |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 |  Fenerbahçe |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 |  PSV Eindhoven |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 21 | Villarreal |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | |
| 22 |  Club Brugge |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | |
| 22 | Lille |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | |
| 22 |  Slavia Prague |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | |
| 25 | Atlético Madrid |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 25 | Inter Milan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
| 27 |  LASK |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 27 | Napoli |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 29 | Galatasaray |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
| 29 |  Viking |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
| 31 | Porto |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 | |
| 32 | RB Leipzig |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | |
| 33 | Feyenoord |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | |
| 34 |  Sabah |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 | |
| 35 |  Slovan Bratislava |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | |
| 36 | Bodø/Glimt |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
Rules for classification: League phase tiebreakers
Results summary
By matchday
By team
Scores and legend colours are listed from the perspective of the team in the "Team" column.
Legend: H = home, A = away. Green = win; Yellow = draw; Red = loss.
Matches
The fixture list was announced on 29 August 2026, two days after the draw.[11][12][13] This was to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Europa League and Conference League playing in the same cities.
In principle, each team will not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and will play one home match and one away match across both the first and last two matchdays. The matches will be played on 8–10 September (exclusive week),[note 1] 13–14 October, 20–21 October, 3–4 November, 24–25 November and 8–9 December 2026, 19–20 January and 27 January 2027. All matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for the competition's exclusive week, which also included Thursday fixtures. The scheduled kick-off times are 18:45 (two matches on each day) and 21:00 (remaining matches) CET/CEST. The only exception is the final matchday, where all fixtures will be played simultaneously at 21:00.[14][6]
Times are CET or CEST,[note 2] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Matchday 1
| AEK Athens | 1–0 | LASK |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[15] |
| Club Brugge | 2–3 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[17] |
| Borussia Dortmund | 3–2 | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[19] |
| Porto | 0–2 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[21] |
|
| Lille | 2–3 | Real Betis |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[23] |
| Real Madrid | 2–1 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[25] |
|
| VfB Stuttgart | 3–1 | Viking |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[29] |
|
| Liverpool | 2–1 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[31] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 6–1 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[33] |
|
| Sporting CP | 3–1 | Galatasaray |
|---|---|---|
| Report[35] |
| Fenerbahçe | 1–1 | Roma |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[39] |
|
| PSV Eindhoven | 1–1 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[41] |
|
| Como | 4–1 | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[43] |
|
| Bayern Munich | 5–0 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[45] |
Matchday 2
| Lens | v | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[51] |
| Sabah | v | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[52] |
| Inter Milan | v | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[55] |
| Galatasaray | v | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Report[56] |
| RB Leipzig | v | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[57] |
| Viking | v | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
| Report[58] |
| Villarreal | v | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
| Report[59] |
| Roma | v | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[62] |
| Aston Villa | v | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Report[63] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | v | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[64] |
| Bodø/Glimt | v | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[67] |
| Real Betis | v | Porto |
|---|---|---|
| Report[69] |
Matchday 3
| Roma | v | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[74] |
| Porto | v | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[75] |
| Liverpool | v | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[76] |
| VfB Stuttgart | v | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[80] |
| Aston Villa | v | Viking |
|---|---|---|
| Report[83] |
| Club Brugge | v | Lens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[84] |
| Bayern Munich | v | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[85] |
| Inter Milan | v | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[86] |
| Real Madrid | v | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[87] |
| Real Betis | v | Feyenoord |
|---|---|---|
| Report[88] |
| Sporting CP | v | LASK |
|---|---|---|
| Report[89] |
Matchday 4
| Shakhtar Donetsk | v | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[90] |
| Galatasaray | v | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report[91] |
| Barcelona | v | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[93] |
| Feyenoord | v | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[94] |
| Bodø/Glimt | v | Lille |
|---|---|---|
| Report[95] |
| LASK | v | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[96] |
| Manchester United | v | Roma |
|---|---|---|
| Report[97] |
| AEK Athens | v | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[99] |
| RB Leipzig | v | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[104] |
| Slavia Prague | v | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[106] |
Matchday 5
| Bodø/Glimt | v | LASK |
|---|---|---|
| Report[108] |
| Galatasaray | v | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[109] |
| Arsenal | v | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[110] |
| Como | v | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[111] |
| Manchester City | v | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
| Report[113] |
| RB Leipzig | v | Lens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[114] |
| Real Madrid | v | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[115] |
| Slavia Prague | v | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[118] |
| Club Brugge | v | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report[120] |
| Inter Milan | v | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report[121] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | v | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Report[122] |
| Paris Saint-Germain | v | Roma |
|---|---|---|
| Report[124] |
Matchday 6
| Villarreal | v | Sabah |
|---|---|---|
| Report[127] |
| AEK Athens | v | Galatasaray |
|---|---|---|
| Report[128] |
| Roma | v | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[129] |
| Barcelona | v | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[131] |
| Bayern Munich | v | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[132] |
| Real Betis | v | Como |
|---|---|---|
| Report[135] |
| Arsenal | v | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[137] |
| LASK | v | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Report[139] |
| Lens | v | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[142] |
| VfB Stuttgart | v | Lille |
|---|---|---|
| Report[143] |
Matchday 7
| Bodø/Glimt | v | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[144] |
| Galatasaray | v | Feyenoord |
|---|---|---|
| Report[145] |
| AEK Athens | v | Roma |
|---|---|---|
| Report[146] |
| Inter Milan | v | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report[148] |
| Porto | v | Slavia Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[149] |
| Real Madrid | v | LASK |
|---|---|---|
| Report[151] |
| VfB Stuttgart | v | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[152] |
| RB Leipzig | v | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[157] |
| Lens | v | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[158] |
| Real Betis | v | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report[159] |
| Sporting CP | v | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Report[160] |
| Viking | v | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[161] |
Matchday 8
| Club Brugge | v | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[166] |
| Bayern Munich | v | Real Betis |
|---|---|---|
| Report[167] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | v | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[169] |
| Feyenoord | v | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[170] |
| Slavia Prague | v | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[176] |
Notes
- As part of the scheduling for the 2026–27 UEFA men's club season, each competition will have an "exclusive week" in the calendar, with no other competitions scheduled during this week. For the Champions League, this took place on matchday 1 (8–10 September 2026).
- Sabah will play their home matches at Olympic Stadium, Baku, instead of their regular stadium, Bank Respublika Arena, Masazir, which does not meet UEFA requirements.
- Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams are required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[65] Therefore, Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home matches at Stamford Bridge, London, England, instead of their regular stadium, Donbas Arena, Donetsk.[66]
- Real Betis will play their home matches at La Cartuja, Seville, instead of their regular stadium, Benito Villamarín, Seville, due to renovation works.[70]