UEFA Champions League
FIFA Region
UEFA
Season
2026-2027
Location
Europe
Abbreviation
UEFACL
Summary
The 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League (UEFACL) is Europe's premier club football tournament where the top premier league/1st division club teams from 53 of the 55 UEFA F/As (football associations) are represented. (Liechtenstein is not represented, because they do not have a domestic league, and Russia is not represented due to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.) The 2026-2027 winner will play in the 2027 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2027 UEFA Super Cup against the 2026-2027 UEFAEL champion. The 2026-2027 final will be played on 5 June 2027 in Riyadh Air Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain).
The number of club teams that each F/A is able to send to the 2026-2027 UEFACL is based on the 2026 UEFA F/A Rankings table. This table takes into account how teams from each F/A performed in European competitions from the 2020-2021 through the 2024-2025 seasons.
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA1) is the reigning UEFACL champion.
During the League Stage, table ranking ties are broken by: (1) head-to-head points, (2) head-to-head goal difference, (3) head-to-head goals scored, (4) head-to-head away goals scored, (5) if more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams, (6) goal difference in all group matches, (7) in-group total goals scored, (8) in-group away goals scored, (9) in-group wins, (10) in-group away wins, (11) disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points), then (12) UEFA club coefficient.
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2026 UEFA F/A Rankings
| F/A | UEFA Rank | CL Teams | EL Teams | ECL Teams |
|---|
| England | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Italy | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Spain | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Germany | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| France | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Portugal | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Belgium | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Czechia | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Turkey | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Norway | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Greece | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Austria | 13 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Scotland | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Poland | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Denmark | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Israel | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cyprus | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sweden | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Croatia | 21 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Serbia | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ukraine | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hungary | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Romania | 25 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Russia | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Slovakia | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bulgaria | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Azerbaijan | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Republic of Ireland | 31 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Moldova | 32 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Iceland | 33 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Armenia | 35 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Latvia | 36 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Kosovo | 37 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Finland | 38 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Kazakhstan | 39 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Faroe Islands | 40 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Malta | 41 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Northern Ireland | 42 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Lithuania | 43 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Liechtenstein | 44 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Estonia | 45 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Albania | 46 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Montenegro | 47 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Luxembourg | 48 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wales | 49 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Georgia | 50 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| North Macedonia | 51 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Belarus | 52 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Andorra | 53 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Gibraltar | 54 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| San Marino | 55 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Competition Structure
| Stage | # Teams | New Teams Entering This Round | Teams From Previous Round | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Qualifying | 28 | 28 champions from F/As ranked 24-25 and 29-55 (except Liechtenstein and Russia) | None | 14 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| 2nd Qualifying | 28 | 8 champions from F/As ranked 15-22, 2 champions from F/As ranked 27-28, 4 second place teams from F/As ranked 10, 13-15 | 14 winners from 1st Qualifying Round | 14 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| 3rd Qualifying | 20 | 2 runners-up from F/As ranked 8-9, 3rd place team from F/A 6, 4th place team from F/A ranked 5, 2nd place teams from F/As ranked 11-12 | 14 winners from 2nd Qualifying Round | 10 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Playoff | 14 | 4 champions from F/As ranked 11-14, 1 champion from F/A ranked 19 | 10 winners from 3rd Qualifying Round | 7 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| League (Group) | 36 | 10 champions from F/As ranked 1-10), 6 second place teams from F/As ranked 1-6, 5 third place teams from F/As ranked 1-5, 4 fourth place teams from F/As ranked 1-4, champion from F/A ranked 23, 2nd place team from F/A ranked 7, 1 additional team each from F/As England and Italy | 7 winners from Playoff Round | 1 group of 36 with each team playing 4 Home and 4 Away matches (win = 3 pts, draw = 1 pt) |
| Preliminary Knockout | 16 | None | 16 teams ranked 9-24 (by points) after League stage | 8 Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Round of 16 | 16 | 8 teams ranked 1-8 (by points) after League stage | 8 winners from Preliminary Knockout stage | 8 Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Quarterfinals | 8 | None | 8 winners from Round of 16 | 4 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Semifinals | 4 | None | 4 winners from Quarterfinals | 2 sets of Home/Away matches, highest aggregate goals advances |
| Final | 2 | None | 2 winners from Semifinals | 1 match played at a neutral site |
Playoffs
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
| Aggregate | Fenerbahçe (TUR1) | 11 | Lyon (FRA1) |
| 18.08.26 |  | 11 | Lyon | Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi |
| 26.08.26 | | Fenerbahçe | Groupama Stadium |
| Aggregate | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO1) | 22 | Viking FK (NOR1) |
| 18.08.26 |  | 22 | Viking FK | Stadion Maksimir |
| 26.08.26 | | Dinamo Zagreb | Lyse Arena |
| Aggregate | PFC Levski Sofia (BUL1) | 00 | AEK Athens (GRE1) |
| 18.08.26 |  | 00 | AEK Athens | Stadion Georgi Asparuhov |
| 26.08.26 | | PFC Levski Sofia | Groupama Stadium |
| Aggregate | Celtic (SCO1) | 00 | LASK Linz (AUT1) |
| Aggregate | NEC Nijmegen (NED1) | 00 | FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR1) |
| 19.08.26 |  | FK Bodø/Glimt | Stadion de Goffert |
| 25.08.26 | | NEC Nijmegen | Aspmyra Stadion |
| Aggregate | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC (ISR1) | 00 | Sabah FK (AZE1) |
| 19.08.26 |  | Sabah FK | Yaakov Turner Toto Stadium |
| 25.08.26 | | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC | Bank Respublika Arena |
| Aggregate | ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK1) | 00 | NK Celje (SVN1) |
| 19.08.26 |  | NK Celje | Štadión Tehelné pole |
| 25.08.26 | | ŠK Slovan Bratislava | Stadion Z'dežele |
3rd Qualifying
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
| Aggregate | Ararat-Armenia FC (ARM1) | 23 | NK Celje (SVN1) |
| 04.08.26 |  | 21 | NK Celje | Republican Stadium (Yerevan) |
| 11.08.26 | | 20 | Ararat-Armenia FC | Stadion Z'dežele |
| Aggregate | Mjällby AIF (SWE1) | 14 | ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK1) |
| 04.08.26 |  | 12 | ŠK Slovan Bratislava | Strandvallen |
| 11.08.26 | | 20 | Mjällby AIF | Štadión Tehelné pole |
| Aggregate | PFC Levski Sofia (BUL1) | 20 | FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ1) |
| 04.08.26 | | 10 | FC Kairat Almaty | Stadion Georgi Asparuhov |
| 11.08.26 | | 01 | PFC Levski Sofia | Turkistan Arena |
| Aggregate | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC (ISR1) | 30 | Red Star Belgrade (SRB1) |
| 04.08.26 | | 10 | Red Star Belgrade | Haladás Stadion |
| 11.08.26 | | 02 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC | Stadion Rajko Mitić |
| Aggregate | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO1) | 71 | FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU1) |
| 04.08.26 | | 50 | FK Kauno Žalgiris | Stadion Maksimir |
| 11.08.26 | | 12 | Dinamo Zagreb | Darius and Girėnas Stadium |
| Aggregate | RU Saint-Gilloise (BEL1) | 56 | FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR1) |
| 04.08.26 |  | 33 | FK Bodø/Glimt | Batimont Solar Park |
| 11.08.26 | | 32 | RU Saint-Gilloise | Aspmyra Stadion |
| Aggregate | Sparta Praha (CZE1) | 24 | Lyon (FRA1) |
| 04.08.26 |  | 21 | Lyon | epet ARENA |
| 11.08.26 | | 30 | Sparta Praha | Groupama Stadium |
| Aggregate | Olympiakos (GRE1) | 12 | NEC Nijmegen (NED1) |
| 04.08.26 |  | 00 | NEC Nijmegen | Georgios Karaiskákis Stadium |
| 11.08.26 | | 21 | Olympiakos | Stadion de Goffert |
| Aggregate | Aarhus GF (DEN1) | 25 | Sabah FK (AZE1) |
| Aggregate | Fenerbahçe (TUR1) | 30 | SK Sturm Graz (AUT1) |
| 05.08.26 | | 20 | SK Sturm Graz | Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi |
| 11.08.26 | | 01 | Fenerbahçe | Merkur Arena |
2nd Qualifying
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
| Aggregate | FC Iberia 1999 (GEO1) | 13 | ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 02 | ŠK Slovan Bratislava | Mikheil Meskhis sakhelobis Stadioni |
| 29.07.26 | | 11 | FC Iberia 1999 | Štadión Tehelné pole |
| Aggregate | Mjallby (SWE1) | 30 | Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB1) |
| 21.07.26 | | 30 | Lincoln Red Imps FC | Strandvallen |
| 28.07.26 | | 00 | Mjällby AIF | Europa Point Stadium |
| Aggregate | Ararat-Armenia FC (ARM1) | 32 | Shamrock Rovers (IRL1) |
| 21.07.26 | | 20 | Shamrock Rovers | Republican Stadium (Yerevan) |
| 28.07.26 | | 21 | Ararat-Armenia FC | Tallaght Stadium |
| Aggregate | Sabah FK (AZE1) | 30 | KuPS (FIN1) |
| Aggregate | Aarhus GF (DEN1) | 55 | Lech Poznań (POL1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 14 | Lech Poznań | Vejlby Stadium |
| 29.07.26 | | 14 | Aarhus GF | Enea Stadion |
| Aggregate | Fenerbahçe (TUR1) | 21 | KS Górnik Zabrze (POL1) |
| 21.07.26 | | 10 | KS Górnik Zabrze | Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi |
| 29.07.26 | | 11 | Fenerbahçe | Arena Zabrze |
| Aggregate | FC Thun (SUI1) | 34 | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 11 | Dinamo Zagreb | Stockhorn Arena |
| 28.07.26 | | 32 | FC Thun | Stadion Maksimir |
| Aggregate | SK Sturm Graz (AUT1) | 60 | Heart of Midlothian FC (SCO1) |
| 21.07.26 | | 40 | Heart of Midlothian FC | Merkur Arena |
| 28.07.26 | | 02 | SK Sturm Graz | Tynecastle Park |
| Aggregate | KÍ Klaksvík (FRO1) | 01 | FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 00 | FK Kauno Žalgiris | Við Djúpumýrar |
| 29.07.26 | | 10 | KÍ Klaksvík | Jonavos centrinis stadionas |
| Aggregate | Víkingur Reykjavík FC (ISL1) | 23 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC (ISR1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 21 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva FC | Víkingsvöllur |
| 29.07.26 | | 20 | Víkingur Reykjavík FC | Haladás Stadion |
| Aggregate | Larne FC (NIR1) | 09 | Red Star Belgrade (SRB1) |
| 21.07.26 |  | 04 | Red Star Belgrade | Inver Park |
| 29.07.26 | | 50 | Larne FC | Stadion Rajko Mitić |
| Aggregate | AC Omonia Nicosia (CYP1) | 11 | FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ1) |
| 22.07.26 |  | 10 | FC Kairat Almaty | Neo GSP Stadium |
| 29.07.26 | | 10 | AC Omonia Nicosia | Ortalıq Stadion (Almatı) |
| Aggregate | PFC Levski Sofia (BUL1) | 32 | Universitatea Craiova (ROU1) |
| 22.07.26 | | 10 | Universitatea Craiova | Stadion Georgi Asparuhov |
| 29.07.26 | | 22 | PFC Levski Sofia | Stadionul Ion Oblemenco |
| Aggregate | KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë (ALB1) | 47 | NK Celje (SVN1) |
| 22.07.26 |  | 33 | NK Celje | Arena Egnatia |
| 28.07.26 | | 41 | KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë | Stadion Z'dežele |
1st Qualifying
| Date | Home | Status | Road | Venue | ||||
| Aggregate | Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB1) | 42 | Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 31 | Inter Club d'Escaldes | Europa Point Stadium |
| 14.07.26 | | 11 | Lincoln Red Imps FC | Estadi Comunal d'Andorra La Vella |
| Aggregate | Ararat-Armenia FC (ARM1) | 43 | Riga FC (LVA1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 20 | Riga FC | Football Academy Stadium |
| 14.07.26 | | 32 | Ararat-Armenia FC | Skonto Stadions |
| Aggregate | FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU1) | 43 | KF Drita (KVX1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 11 | KF Drita | Darius and Girėnas Stadium |
| 14.07.26 | | 23 | FK Kauno Žalgiris | Stadiumi me bar sintetik Gjilan |
| Aggregate | Sabah FK (AZE1) | 41 | The New Saints (WAL1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 20 | The New Saints | Bank Respublika Arena |
| 14.07.26 | | 12 | Sabah FK | Park Hall Stadium |
| Aggregate | FK Vardar (MKD1) | 34 | KuPS (FIN1) |
| Aggregate | Floriana FC (MLT1) | 35 | Shamrock Rovers (IRL1) |
| 07.07.26 |  | 20 | Shamrock Rovers | Independence Ground (Floriana) |
| 14.07.26 | | 51 | Floriana FC | Tallaght Stadium |
| Aggregate | SP Tre Fiori (SMR1) | 13 | Larne FC (NIR1) |
| 07.07.26 |  | 01 | Larne FC | Campo Sportivo di Fiorentino Federico Crescentini |
| 14.07.26 | | 21 | SP Tre Fiori | Inver Park |
| Aggregate | Borac Banja Luka (BIH1) | 15 | PFC Levski Sofia (BUL1) |
| 07.07.26 |  | 11 | PFC Levski Sofia | Banja Luka City Stadium |
| 14.07.26 | | 40 | Borac Banja Luka | Stadion Georgi Asparuhov |
| Aggregate | KÍ Klaksvík (FRO1) | 42 | FC Atert Bissen (LUX1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 21 | FC Atert Bissen | Við Djúpumýrar |
| 15.07.26 | | 12 | KÍ Klaksvík | Terrain Bousbierg |
| Aggregate | Víkingur Reykjavík FC (ISL1) | 32 | Győri Eto FC (HUN1) |
| 07.07.26 | | 10 | Győri Eto FC | Víkingsvöllur |
| 14.07.26 | | 22 | Víkingur Reykjavík FC | ETO Park |
| Aggregate | FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ1) | 41 | FK Sutjeska Nikšić (MNE1) |
| 08.07.26 | | 21 | FK Sutjeska Nikšić | Ortalıq Stadion (Almatı) |
| 15.07.26 | | 02 | FC Kairat Almaty | Stadion Kraj Bistrice |
| Aggregate | FC Flora (EST1) | 45 | FC Iberia 1999 (GEO1) |
| 08.07.26 |  | 23 | FC Iberia 1999 | A Le Coq Arena |
| 14.07.26 | | 22 | FC Flora | Mikheil Meskhis sakhelobis Stadioni |
| Aggregate | CS Petrocub Hînceşti (MDA1) | 27 | KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë (ALB1) |
| 08.07.26 |  | 11 | KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë | Stadionul Orăşenesc (Hînceşti) |
| 15.07.26 | | 61 | CS Petrocub Hînceşti | Arena Egnatia |
| Aggregate | FK Maxline Vitebsk (BLR1) | 15 | Universitatea Craiova (ROU1) |
| 08.07.26 |  | 14 | Universitatea Craiova | Stadyen Central'ny (Vitsyebski) |
| 15.07.26 | | 10 | FK Maxline Vitebsk | Stadionul Ion Oblemenco |