Monaco, Aug. 30 (SANA) Europe’s leading clubs are set for the 2026/27 league phase of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League following the draws held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on August 27 and 28.
Each competition features 36 teams under the league-phase system introduced in the 2024/25 season. Champions League and Europa League clubs face eight different opponents — four at home and four away — while Conference League sides play six opponents, three at home and three away.
Across all three competitions, the top eight teams in the standings qualify directly for the round of 16. Clubs finishing ninth through 24th contest knockout phase play-offs for the remaining places in the last 16, while those ranked 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
The Champions League draw featured 29 automatic qualifiers and seven play-off winners. The Europa League field was assembled from automatic qualifiers, play-off winners and teams transferring from Champions League qualifying, while the Conference League brought together 24 play-off winners and 12 teams defeated in the Europa League play-offs.
Champions League begins in September
The Champions League enters its 72nd season, its 35th since being renamed from the European Cup and its third under the league-phase format.
Its 36-team field includes some of Europe’s biggest clubs, among them Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Napoli and Paris.
England and Spain each have five representatives. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United make up the English contingent, while Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Real Betis, Real Madrid and Villarreal represent Spain.
Germany has Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Stuttgart, with Como, Inter, Napoli and Roma representing Italy. France has Lens, Lille and Paris, while Türkiye is represented by Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray.
The Champions League league phase opens from September 8 to 10, with subsequent matchdays on October 13-14, October 20-21, November 3-4, November 24-25 and December 8-9.
The final two rounds will be played on January 19-20 and January 27, 2027.
The knockout phase play-offs are scheduled for February 16-17 and 23-24, followed by the round of 16 on March 9-10 and 16-17. The quarter-finals take place on April 6-7 and 13-14, with the semi-finals on April 27-28 and May 4-5.
The competition will conclude at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
It will be the sixth European Cup or Champions League final staged in the Spanish capital and the second at Estadio Metropolitano, where Liverpool defeated Tottenham 2-0 in the 2019 final.
The Champions League winners will qualify for the 2027/28 league phase if they have not already secured a place through their domestic competition and will face the Europa League champions in the UEFA Super Cup in August 2027.
Europa League heads toward Frankfurt
The Europa League enters its 56th season and its 18th since the competition was renamed from the UEFA Cup.
Its league phase features clubs including Milan, Juventus, Benfica, Lyon, Marseille, Leverkusen, Real Sociedad, Celtic, Olympiacos and Türkiye’s Beşiktaş.
England is represented by Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sunderland, while France has Lyon, Marseille and Rennes. Milan and Juventus represent Italy, with Hoffenheim and Leverkusen from Germany and Real Sociedad and Celta from Spain.
The Europa League league phase begins on September 16 and 17. Further matchdays will be played on October 15, October 22, November 5, November 26 and December 10, before the final two rounds on January 21 and 28, 2027.
The knockout phase play-offs take place on February 18 and 25, followed by the round of 16 on March 11 and 18, quarter-finals on April 8 and 15 and semi-finals on April 29 and May 6.
The final will be played at Stadion Frankfurt in Germany on May 26.
The venue, originally opened in 1925 and upgraded several times, hosted five matches at UEFA EURO 2024 as well as games during the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The Europa League winners will secure a place in the 2027/28 Champions League league phase if they have not qualified through their domestic competition. They will also meet the Champions League winners in the 2027 UEFA Super Cup.
Istanbul to host Conference League final
The Conference League enters its sixth edition and, like UEFA’s other two major club competitions, its third season under the league-phase format.
Its 36-team field includes Atalanta, Ajax, Monaco, Freiburg, Brighton, Getafe, Braga, Copenhagen, Panathinaikos and Trabzonspor.
Denmark has four representatives — Aarhus, Copenhagen, Midtjylland and Nordsjælland — while the Netherlands has Ajax and Twente and Belgium is represented by Gent and Sint-Truidense.
Unlike the Champions League and Europa League, Conference League clubs play six league-phase matches rather than eight.
The league phase begins on October 15, followed by matchdays on October 22, November 5, November 26, December 10 and December 17.
The knockout phase play-offs will be played on February 18 and 25, with the round of 16 scheduled for March 11 and 18. The quarter-finals follow on April 8 and 15 and the semi-finals on April 29 and May 6.
The final will take place at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, on June 2, 2027.
The stadium staged the 2026 Europa League final, when Aston Villa defeated Freiburg 3-0, and also hosted the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, in which Liverpool beat Chelsea 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
The Conference League winners will qualify for the 2027/28 Europa League league phase if they have not secured Champions League or Europa League qualification through their domestic competition.
Three titles to be decided in 11 days
The three competitions will reach their climax within 11 days in May and June 2027.
The Europa League title will be decided first, in Frankfurt on May 26, followed by the Conference League final in Istanbul on June 2 and the Champions League final in Madrid on June 5.
Despite the different number of league-phase matches, the route to the knockout rounds is the same in all three competitions: eight clubs qualify directly for the round of 16, 16 enter the knockout phase play-offs and the remaining 12 are eliminated.
From the round of 16 onward, each competition continues as a straight knockout tournament.
N.J/MF
