2026–27 UEFA Champions League qualifying
Football tournament qualification stage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round began on 7 July and will end on 26 August 2026.[1][2]
A total of 52 teams are competing in the qualifying system of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League, which includes the qualifying phase and the play-off round. Of these, 42 teams are competing in the Champions Path and 10 in the League Path. The seven winners of the play-off round—five from the Champions Path and two from the League Path—will advance to the league phase, where they will join the 29 teams that have already entered the league phase.[3]
Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Format
The qualifying phase and play-off round are split into two paths – the Champions Path and the League Path. The Champions Path contains teams which qualified as the winners of their domestic league, and the League Path contains teams which qualified as runners-up, third-placed or fourth-placed teams from their domestic league.
Each tie will be 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 at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time will be played, and if the same number of goals is scored by both teams during extra time, the tie will be determined by a penalty shoot-out.[4]
In the draws for each round, teams will be seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round may not be known at the time of the draws, the seeding will be carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to the subsequent round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient advances, it will simply take the seeding of its opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee purely for the convenience of the draw and not to resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA cannot be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie may be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[2]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round | 16 June 2026 | 7–8 July 2026 | 14–15 July 2026 |
| Second qualifying round | 17 June 2026 | 21–22 July 2026 | 28–29 July 2026 |
| Third qualifying round | 20 July 2026 | 4–5 August 2026 | 11 August 2026 |
| Play-off round | 3 August 2026 | 18–19 August 2026 | 25–26 August 2026 |
Teams
The information below reflects Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA.
Champions Path
The Champions Path includes all league champions which did not qualify directly for the league phase and consists of the following rounds:
- First qualifying round (28 teams): 28 teams which enter in this round.
- Second qualifying round (24 teams): 10 teams which enter in this round, and 14 winners of the first qualifying round.
- Third qualifying round (12 teams): 12 winners of the second qualifying round.
- Play-off round (10 teams): 4 teams which enter in this round, and 6 winners of the third qualifying round.
The default access list may be altered based on the qualifying teams' 2026 UEFA club coefficients should the winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League also have qualified for the 2026–27 edition via their domestic league.
All teams eliminated from the Champions Path enter either the Europa League or the Conference League:
- The losers of the first qualifying round enter the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round unless drawn to receive a bye to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.
- The 12 losers of the second qualifying round enter the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round
- The 6 losers of the third qualifying round enter the Europa League play-off round.
- The 5 losers of the play-off round enter the Europa League league phase.
Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2026 UEFA club coefficients),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Winners of play-off round advance to league phase |
| Losers of play-off round enter Europa League league phase |
| Losers of third qualifying round enter Europa League play-off round |
| Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round |
| Losers of the first qualifying round that received a bye entered Conference League third qualifying round |
| Losers of the first qualifying round entered Conference League second qualifying round |
|
|
League Path
The League Path includes all league non-champions which did not qualify directly for the league phase, and consisted of the following rounds:
- Second qualifying round (4 teams): 4 teams which enter in this round.
- Third qualifying round (8 teams): 6 teams which enter in this round, and 2 winners of the second qualifying round.
- Play-off round (4 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round.
The default access list may be altered based on the qualifying teams' 2026 UEFA club coefficients should the winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League also qualify for the 2025–26 edition via their domestic league.
All teams eliminated from the League Path enter the Europa League:
- The 2 losers of the second qualifying round enter the Main Path third qualifying round.
- The 4 losers of the third qualifying round enter the league phase.
- The 2 losers of the play-off round enter the league phase.
Below were the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2026 UEFA club coefficients),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Winners of play-off round advance to league phase |
| Losers of play-off round enter Europa League league phase |
| Losers of third qualifying round enter Europa League league phase |
| Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round |
|
|
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 16 June 2026.[6]
Seeding
A total of 28 teams played in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA divided the teams into two groups of seven seeded and seven unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie was designated the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
Summary
The first legs were played on 7 and 8 July, and the second legs were played on 14 and 15 July 2026.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. Twelve of the losing teams were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round, while the losers of matches 4 and 5, selected following an additional draw for rebalancing purposes, were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
Sabah  | 4–1 |  The New Saints | 2–0 | 2–1 |
Floriana  | 3–5 |  Shamrock Rovers | 2–0 | 1–5 |
Flora  | 4–5 |  Iberia 1999 | 2–3 | 2–2 |
Lincoln Red Imps  | 4–2 |  Inter Club d'Escaldes | 3–1 | 1–1 |
Tre Fiori  | 1–3 |  Larne | 0–1 | 1–2 |
Ararat-Armenia  | 4–3 |  Riga | 2–0 | 2–3 |
Vardar  | 3–4 |  KuPS | 0–2 | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
Kauno Žalgiris  | 4–3 |  Drita | 1–1 | 3–2 |
ML Vitebsk  | 1–5 |  Universitatea Craiova | 1–4 | 0–1 |
Petrocub Hîncești  | 2–7 |  Egnatia | 1–1 | 1–6 |
Borac Banja Luka  | 1–5 |  Levski Sofia | 1–1 | 0–4 |
Víkingur Reykjavík  | 3–2 |  ETO Győr | 1–0 | 2–2 |
Kairat  | 4–1 |  Sutjeska | 2–1 | 2–0 |
KÍ  | 4–2 |  Atert Bissen | 2–1 | 2–1 |
Matches
| Sabah | 2–0 | The New Saints |
|---|---|---|
| Report[7] |
| The New Saints | 1–2 | Sabah |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[9] |
|
Sabah won 4–1 on aggregate.
| Floriana | 2–0 | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[11] |
Shamrock Rovers won 5–3 on aggregate.
Iberia 1999 won 5–4 on aggregate.
| Lincoln Red Imps | 3–1 | Inter Club d'Escaldes |
|---|---|---|
| Report[19] |
Lincoln Red Imps won 4–2 on aggregate.
Larne won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Ararat-Armenia | 2–0 | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Report[27] |
Ararat-Armenia won 4–3 on aggregate.
KuPS won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Kauno Žalgiris | 1–1 | Drita |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[35] |
|
Kauno Žalgiris won 4–3 on aggregate.
| ML Vitebsk | 1–4 | Universitatea Craiova |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[39] |
|
Universitatea Craiova won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Petrocub Hîncești | 1–1 | Egnatia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[44] |
|
Egnatia won 7–2 on aggregate.
| Borac Banja Luka | 1–1 | Levski Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| Report[48] |
|
Levski Sofia won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Víkingur Reykjavík | 1–0 | ETO Győr |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[52] |
| ETO Győr | 2–2 | Víkingur Reykjavík |
|---|---|---|
| Report[54] |
|
Víkingur Reykjavík won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Kairat | 2–1 | Sutjeska |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[56] |
|
Kairat won 4–1 on aggregate.
| KÍ | 2–1 | Atert Bissen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[60] |
|
| Atert Bissen | 1–2 | KÍ |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[62] |
|
KÍ won 4–2 on aggregate.
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 17 June 2026.[64]
Seeding
A total of 28 teams played in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients.[5] For the winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. Before the draw, UEFA divided the teams and/or pairings into groups in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. In the Champions Path, the 24 teams and/or pairings were divided into two groups of twelve, each containing six seeded and six unseeded entries. In the League Path, the four teams were divided into one group containing two seeded and two unseeded teams. The team or pairing represented by the ball drawn first was designated as the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † Winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
Summary
The first legs were played on 21 and 22 July, and the second legs were played on 28 and 29 July 2026.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
Mjällby AIF  | 3–0 | Lincoln Red Imps | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| Larne | 0–9 |  Red Star Belgrade | 0–4 | 0–5 |
| Sabah | 3–0 | KuPS | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| KÍ | 0–1 | Kauno Žalgiris | 0–0 | 0–1 |
AGF  | 5–5 (4–3 p) |  Lech Poznań | 1–4 | 4–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Ararat-Armenia | 3–2 | Shamrock Rovers | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Levski Sofia | 3–2 | Universitatea Craiova | 1–0 | 2–2 |
Omonia  | 1–1 (5–6 p) | Kairat | 1–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
Thun  | 3–4 |  Dinamo Zagreb | 1–1 | 2–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Víkingur Reykjavík | 2–3 |  Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Iberia 1999 | 1–3 |  Slovan Bratislava | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| Egnatia | 5–5 (1–4 p) |  Celje | 3–3 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| League Path | ||||
Fenerbahçe  | 2–1 | Górnik Zabrze | 1–0 | 1–1 |
Sturm Graz  | 6–0 |  Hearts | 4–0 | 2–0 |
Champions Path matches
| Mjällby AIF | 3–0 | Lincoln Red Imps |
|---|---|---|
| Report[65] |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 0–0 | Mjällby AIF |
|---|---|---|
| Report[67] |
Mjällby AIF won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Larne | 0–4 | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Report[69] |
|
| Red Star Belgrade | 5–0 | Larne |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[71] |
Red Star Belgrade won 9–0 on aggregate.
Sabah won 3–0 on aggregate.
| KÍ | 0–0 | Kauno Žalgiris |
|---|---|---|
| Report[77] |
Kauno Žalgiris won 1–0 on aggregate.
5–5 on aggregate; AGF won 4–3 on penalties.
| Ararat-Armenia | 2–0 | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Report[86] |
Ararat-Armenia won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Levski Sofia | 1–0 | Universitatea Craiova |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[90] |
| Universitatea Craiova | 2–2 | Levski Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| Report[92] |
|
Levski Sofia won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Kairat | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Omonia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[96] | |
| Penalties | ||
|
6–5 |
|
1–1 on aggregate; Kairat won 6–5 on penalties.
| Thun | 1–1 | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[98] |
|
Dinamo Zagreb won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Víkingur Reykjavík | 2–1 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[102] |
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Iberia 1999 | 0–2 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[107] |
| Slovan Bratislava | 1–1 | Iberia 1999 |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[109] |
|
Slovan Bratislava won 3–1 on aggregate.
5–5 on aggregate; Celje won 4–1 on penalties.
League Path matches
| Fenerbahçe | 1–0 | Górnik Zabrze |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[115] |
Fenerbahçe won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Sturm Graz | 4–0 | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[119] |
Sturm Graz won 6–0 on aggregate.
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 20 July 2026.[123]
Seeding
A total of 20 teams play in the third qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients.[5] The teams were divided into seeded and unseeded pots. The first team drawn in each tie was designated as the home team for the first leg.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † Winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
Summary
The first legs will be played on 4 and 5 August, and the second legs will be played on 11 August 2026.
The winners of the ties will advance to the play-off round. The losers of the Champions Path will be transferred to the Europa League play-off round, and the losers of the Main Path will be transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | Match 1 | Kauno Žalgiris | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| Mjällby AIF | Match 2 | Slovan Bratislava | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| Levski Sofia | Match 3 | Kairat | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| AGF | Match 4 | Sabah | 5 Aug | 11 Aug |
| Ararat-Armenia | Match 5 | Celje | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | Match 6 | Red Star Belgrade | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| League Path | ||||
Olympiacos  | Match 1 |  NEC | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
Union Saint-Gilloise  | Match 2 |  Bodø/Glimt | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
| Fenerbahçe | Match 3 | Sturm Graz | 5 Aug | 11 Aug |
Sparta Prague  | Match 4 |  Lyon | 4 Aug | 11 Aug |
Champions Path matches
| Dinamo Zagreb | v | Kauno Žalgiris |
|---|---|---|
| Report[124] |
| Kauno Žalgiris | v | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Report[125] |
| Mjällby AIF | v | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[126] |
| Slovan Bratislava | v | Mjällby AIF |
|---|---|---|
| Report[127] |
| Levski Sofia | v | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
| Report[128] |
| Kairat | v | Levski Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| Report[129] |
| Sabah | v | AGF |
|---|---|---|
| Report[132] |
| Ararat-Armenia | v | Celje |
|---|---|---|
| Report[133] |
| Celje | v | Ararat-Armenia |
|---|---|---|
| Report[134] |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | v | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Report[135] |
| Red Star Belgrade | v | Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
|---|---|---|
| Report[136] |
League Path matches
| Olympiacos | v | NEC |
|---|---|---|
| Report[137] |
| NEC | v | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| Report[138] |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | v | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report[139] |
| Bodø/Glimt | v | Union Saint-Gilloise |
|---|---|---|
| Report[140] |
| Fenerbahçe | v | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|---|
| Report[141] |
| Sturm Graz | v | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Report[142] |
| Sparta Prague | v | Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Report[143] |
| Lyon | v | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[144] |
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 3 August 2026.[145]
Seeding
A total of 14 teams will play in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients.[5] The teams were divided into seeded and unseeded pots. The first team drawn in each tie was designated as the home team for the first leg of the tie.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
|
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
|
|
- Notes
- † Winners of the third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
Summary
The first legs will be played on 18 and 19 August, and the second legs will be played on 25 and 26 August 2026.
The winners of the ties will advance to the league phase. The losers will be transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Winner of CH match 3 | Match 1 | AEK Athens | 18 Aug | 26 Aug |
| Celtic | Match 2 | LASK | 19 Aug | 25 Aug |
| Winner of CH match 1 | Match 3 | Viking | 18 or 19 Aug | 25 or 26 Aug |
| Winner of CH match 2 | Match 4 | Winner of CH match 5 | 18 or 19 Aug | 25 or 26 Aug |
| Winner of CH match 6 | Match 5 | Winner of CH match 4 | 18 or 19 Aug | 25 or 26 Aug |
| League Path | ||||
| Winner of LP match 3 | Match 1 | Winner of LP match 4 | 18 or 19 Aug | 25 or 26 Aug |
| Winner of LP match 1 | Match 2 | Winner of LP match 2 | 18 or 19 Aug | 25 or 26 Aug |
Champions Path matches
| Winner of CH match 3 | v | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Report[146] |
| AEK Athens | v | Winner of CH match 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[147] |
| LASK | v | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| Report[149] |
| Winner of CH match 1 | v | Viking |
|---|---|---|
| Report[150] |
| Viking | v | Winner of CH match 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[151] |
| Winner of CH match 2 | v | Winner of CH match 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[152] |
| Winner of CH match 5 | v | Winner of CH match 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[153] |
| Winner of CH match 6 | v | Winner of CH match 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[154] |
| Winner of CH match 4 | v | Winner of CH match 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[155] |
League Path matches
| Winner of LP match 3 | v | Winner of LP match 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[156] |
| Winner of LP match 4 | v | Winner of LP match 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[157] |
| Winner of LP match 1 | v | Winner of LP match 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[158] |
| Winner of LP match 2 | v | Winner of LP match 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Report[159] |
Notes
- Ararat-Armenia played their first qualifying round home match at Abovyan City Stadium in Abovyan instead of at their regular home ground, Yerevan Football Academy Stadium.
- Drita played their home leg at Fadil Vokrri Stadium because their regular home ground, Gjilan City Stadium, did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Due to the country's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors until further notice.[40]
- Petrocub Hîncești played their home leg at Zimbru Stadium because their regular home ground, Hîncești Municipal Stadium, did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Atert Bissen played their home leg at Stade de Luxembourg because their regular home ground, Terrain ZAC Klengbousbierg, did not meet UEFA requirements.
- The match was moved from Kauno Žalgiris' home ground, Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas to Jonava Stadium, Jonava due to scheduling conflict with a Pitbull concert.[80]
- AGF play their home legs at the Cepheus Park in Randers, instead of their regular home ground, Ceres Park in Aarhus, which is undergoing major renovation.
- From the second qualifying round onwards, Ararat-Armenia play their home legs at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, instead of their regular home ground, Yerevan Football Academy Stadium in Yerevan.
- Kairat will play their third qualifying round home leg at the Turkistan Arena in Turkistan, instead of their regular home ground, Almaty Central Stadium in Almaty due to a scheduling conflict with a Kanye West concert.[130]
- Union Saint-Gilloise will play their home matches at Batimont Solar Park, Ostend, instead of their regular stadium, Joseph Marien Stadium, Brussels, which did not meet UEFA requirements.