2026/27 UEFA Champions League Qualifying: Results and Format Explained

The qualifying rounds for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League began on 7 July and ended on 26 August. Out of the 36 teams that reach the league phase, 29 qualified directly, while seven earned their spots through the qualifying rounds.

Qualifying Structure

The qualifying competition featured three rounds before the play-offs. From the second qualifying round onward, two separate paths were used:

• Champions Path: For domestic league winners who didn’t qualify directly.
• League Path: For teams qualifying via leagues with multiple Champions League spots.

The round at which each team entered was determined by UEFA club coefficient rankings.

The system guarantees representation from at least 37 national associations in the group stages of the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League.

Teams eliminated in Champions League and Europa League qualifying rounds receive a second chance by moving into the Europa League or Conference League qualifying or group stages.

Schedule of Qualifying Rounds

• First Qualifying Round: 7-8 & 14-15 July (Draw on 16 June)
• Second Qualifying Round: 21-22 & 28-29 July (Draw on 17 June)
• Third Qualifying Round: 4-5 & 11 August (Draw on 20 July)
• Play-offs: 18-19 & 25-26 August (Draw on 3 August)

Play-off Round Results

• Champions Path Teams: 10 (4 joined winners from third qualifying round)
• League Path Teams: 4 (winners from third qualifying round)

First Legs - 18-19 August

• Levski Sofia 0-0 AEK Athens (Champions Path)
• GNK Dinamo 2-2 Viking (Champions Path)
• Fenerbahçe 1-1 Lyon (League Path)
• Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-1 Sabah (Champions Path)
• Celtic 3-0 LASK (Champions Path)
• Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Celje (Champions Path)
• N.E.C. 1-3 Bodø/Glimt (League Path)

Second Legs - 25-26 August

• Sabah 5-2 aet Hapoel Beer-Sheva (agg: 6-4) (Champions Path)
• LASK 5-1 aet Celtic (agg: 5-4) (Champions Path)
• Bodø/Glimt 3-0 N.E.C. (agg: 6-1) (League Path)
• AEK Athens 4-0 Levski Sofia (agg: 4-0) (Champions Path)
• Viking 3-1 GNK Dinamo (agg: 5-3) (Champions Path)
• Celje 1-2 aet Slovan Bratislava (agg: 2-3) (Champions Path)
• Lyon 1-2 Fenerbahçe (agg: 2-3) (League Path)

Play-off Round Format

• Winners of each tie advanced to the Champions League league phase.
• All losing teams moved into the Europa League league phase.

League Phase Draw

The draw for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase took place on Thursday, 27 August at 18:00 CET. It featured 36 teams: 29 automatic qualifiers plus 7 play-off winners.

Third Qualifying Round Details

• Champions Path: 12 teams (winners from the second qualifying round)
• League Path: 8 teams (6 new entries + 2 winners from second round)

First Legs (4-5 August)

• Mjällby 1-2 Slovan Bratislava (Champions Path)
• Ararat-Armenia 2-1 Celje (Champions Path)
• Levski Sofia 1-0 Kairat Almaty (Champions Path)
• Hapoel Beer-Sheva 1-0 Crvena Zvezda (Champions Path)
• GNK Dinamo 5-0 Kauno Žalgiris (Champions Path)
• Olympiacos 0-0 N.E.C. (League Path)
• Union SG 3-3 Bodø/Glimt (League Path)
• Sparta Praha 2-1 Lyon (League Path)
• Aarhus 2-1 Sabah (Champions Path)
• Fenerbahçe 2-0 Sturm Graz (League Path)

Second Legs (11 August)

• Kairat Almaty 0-1 Levski Sofia (agg: 0-2)
• Sabah 4-0 Aarhus (agg: 5-2)
• Kauno Žalgiris 1-2 GNK Dinamo (agg: 1-7)
• Crvena Zvezda 0-2 Hapoel Beer-Sheva (agg: 0-3)
• Slovan Bratislava 2-0 Mjällby (agg: 4-1)
• Celje 2-0 Ararat-Armenia (agg: 3-2)
• Bodø/Glimt 3-2 aet Union SG (agg: 6-5)
• N.E.C. 2-1 aet Olympiacos (agg: 2-1)
• Sturm Graz 0-1 Fenerbahçe (agg: 0-3)
• Lyon 3-0 Sparta Praha (agg: 4-2)

Third Qualifying Round Format

• Winners progressed to the play-off round in their path.
• Losers in Champions Path moved to Europa League play-off round.
• Losers in League Path entered Europa League league phase.

Second Qualifying Round Details

• Champions Path: 24 teams (10 new entries + 14 first-round winners)
• League Path: 4 teams (new entries)

First Legs (21-22 July)

• Mjällby 3-0 Lincoln Red Imps
• Sabah 1-0 KuPS Kuopio
• Ararat-Armenia 2-0 Shamrock Rovers
• Iberia Tbilisi 0-2 Slovan Bratislava
• Aarhus 1-4 Lech Poznań
• Thun 1-1 GNK Dinamo
• Klaksvík 0-0 Kauno Žalgiris
• Larne 0-4 Crvena Zvezda
• Víkingur Reykjavík 2-1 Hapoel Beer-Sheva
• Fenerbahçe 1-0 Górnik Zabrze (League Path)
• Sturm Graz 4-0 Hearts (League Path)
• Omonia 1-0 Kairat Almaty
• Levski Sofia 1-0 Universitatea Craiova
• Egnatia 3-3 Celje

Second Legs (28-29 July)

• KuPS Kuopio 0-2 Sabah (agg: 0-3)
• Lincoln Red Imps 0-0 Mjällby (agg: 0-3)
• GNK Dinamo 3-2 aet Thun (agg: 4-3)
• Celje 2-2 aet Egnatia (agg: 5-5, Celje won 4-1 on penalties)
• Shamrock Rovers 2-1 Ararat-Armenia (agg: 2-3)
• Hearts 0-2 Sturm Graz (agg: 0-6)
• Kairat Almaty 1-0 Omonia (agg: 1-1, Kairat Almaty won 6-5 on penalties)
• Kauno Žalgiris 1-0 Klaksvík (agg: 1-0)
• Lech Poznań 1-4 Aarhus (agg: 5-5, Aarhus won 4-3 on penalties)
• Universitatea Craiova 2-2 Levski Sofia (agg: 2-3)
• Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-0 Víkingur Reykjavík (agg: 3-2)
• Crvena Zvezda 5-0 Larne (agg: 9-0)
• Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Iberia Tbilisi (agg: 3-1)
• Górnik Zabrze 1-1 Fenerbahçe (agg: 1-2) (League Path)

Second Qualifying Round Format

• Winners advanced to the third qualifying round in their path.
• Losers moved to the Europa League third qualifying round in respective paths.

First Qualifying Round Details

• Champions Path: 28 teams entered at this stage.

First Legs (7-8 July)

• Sabah 2-0 The New Saints
• Lincoln Red Imps 3-1 Inter Escaldes*
• Ararat-Armenia 2-0 Riga
• Kauno Žalgiris 1-1 Drita
• Vardar 0-2 KuPS Kuopio
• Floriana 2-0 Shamrock Rovers
• Tre Fiori 0-1 Larne*
• Borac 1-1 Levski Sofia
• Klaksvík 2-1 Atert Bissen
• Víkingur Reykjavík 1-0 Győri ETO
• Kairat Almaty 2-1 Sutjeska
• Flora Tallinn 2-3 Iberia Tbilisi
• Vitebsk 1-4 Universitatea Craiova
• Petrocub 1-1 Egnatia

Second Legs (14-15 July)

• KuPS Kuopio 2-3 aet Vardar (agg: 4-3)
• Iberia Tbilisi 2-2 Flora Tallinn (agg: 5-4)
• Inter Escaldes 1-1 Lincoln Red Imps* (agg: 2-4)
• Riga 3-2 Ararat-Armenia (agg: 3-4)
• Győri ETO 2-2 Víkingur Reykjavík (agg: 2-3)
• The New Saints 1-2 Sabah (agg: 1-4)
• Levski Sofia 4-0 Borac (agg: 5-1)
• Drita 2-3 Kauno Žalgiris (agg: 3-4)
• Shamrock Rovers 5-1 Floriana (agg: 5-3)
• Larne 2-1 Tre Fiori* (agg: 3-1)
• Universitatea Craiova 1-0 Vitebsk (agg: 5-1)
• Atert Bissen 1-2 Klaksvík (agg: 2-4)
• Egnatia 6-1 Petrocub (agg: 7-2)
• Sutjeska 0-2 Kairat Almaty (agg: 1-4)

First Qualifying Round Format

• Winners advanced to the second qualifying round (Champions Path).
• Losers dropped to the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path), except some who received a bye to the third qualifying round.
• Teams marked with an asterisk (*) moved to the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round (Champions Path).