Champions League Qualifying 2026/27: How the Road to the League Phase Works

UEFA Champions League qualifying for the 2026/27 season began on July 7 and runs through August 26, with 29 teams already qualified directly for the league phase and the remaining seven spots to be decided through four rounds of qualifying, UEFA confirmed (uefa.com).

Two separate paths to the same place

From the second qualifying round onward, the competition splits into a Champions Path and a League Path. The Champions Path is for teams that won their domestic league, the League Path is for teams that qualified through leagues offering more than one Champions League place. Which round a club enters depends on its association's UEFA club coefficient ranking.

The calendar

First qualifying round: July 7 to 15. Second qualifying round: July 21 to 29. Third qualifying round: August 4 to 11. Play-offs: August 18 to 26. Losing sides at each stage don't go home, they drop into the Europa League or Conference League depending on the round and path they exit from.

Fenerbahce's route is already live

Fenerbahce, fresh off agreeing terms with Mason Greenwood, enter the League Path second qualifying round against Gornik Zabrze, with the first leg on July 21 or 22 and the return leg a week later. Other notable names already in the second round include Crvena Zvezda, Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz.

The league phase draw takes place on August 27 and will set the 36-team field, the 29 automatic qualifiers plus the seven play-off round winners. The 2026/27 final will be played at Atletico Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano.