Champions League 2026/2027 - format, teams, draws, and schedule

Just about a month ago, the world watched as the footballers of PSG lifted the main club trophy - the Champions League - above their heads for the second time in a row. No sooner had we caught our breath than the qualification for the 2026/2027 Champions League season kicked off. This will be the 72nd season in history. In this article, we will detail how the tournament is structured in the new season, who will participate, when the draws will take place, and where the fate of the "big-eared" trophy will be decided.

Tournament Format

The main change that fans have already gotten used to over the past two years is the complete absence of the traditional group stage. There are no longer eight groups of four teams. Instead, all 36 participants are combined into one overall tournament table.

How the general stage works:

• Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents in the general stage - four games at home and four away. There are no paired matches in the fall.
• Before the draw, teams are divided into four pots according to the UEFA ranking. Each club gets two representatives from each pot as opponents (one at home, one away). This ensures that even top clubs will play against each other in the first stage.

Tournament standings after 8 rounds:

• Places 1 to 8 go directly to the round of 16.
• Places 9 to 24 go to the playoff round (two-legged playoff), where another eight spots in the round of 16 will be contested.
• Places 25 to 36 are eliminated from the European cups for good. There is no transition to the Europa League.

Starting from the round of 16, the tournament returns to the classic knockout format with home and away matches.

Participating Teams and the Principle of Seat Allocation

The main round of the Champions League involves 36 teams. The grid of participants is formed as follows:

• 29 clubs receive direct tickets to the general stage thanks to successful performances in their national championships.
• Another 7 clubs make it through the qualification sieve. 

The number of places for each country directly depends on its position in the UEFA coefficient table. The strongest associations (England, Spain, Italy, Germany) consistently delegate their top four clubs directly. In addition, two national associations, whose clubs performed best in the previous European cup season, receive one additional (fifth) ticket to the general stage.

Champions League Draws: Dates and What They Determine

Schedule of draws for the 2026/2027 season:

• June 16, 2026 - first qualifying round.
• June 17,2026 - second qualifying round.
• July 20, 2026 - third qualifying round.
• August 3, 2026 - playoff round (final stage of qualification).
• August 27, 2026 - draw for the group stage. On this day, the 36 best teams in Europe will find out their eight opponents for the autumn and winter.
• Beginning of 2027 (the date will be announced later) - draw for the knockout matches and the playoff grid up to the final.

Calendar: from qualification to the final

The season traditionally stretches almost for a year. The group stage does not end in December, but extends into January, making the winter segment of the season incredibly intense.

Champions League Final 2026/2027

The winner of the 2026/2027 Champions League season will be determined on June 5, 2027, in Madrid. The decisive match will be hosted by the magnificent "Riyad Air Metropolitan" arena - the home stadium of Atletico Madrid. This ultra-modern stadium accommodates about 70,000 spectators and already has experience hosting major European matches. It was here that the all-English final took place in 2019, where Liverpool beat Tottenham (2:0).

Madrid is rightly considered one of the main football capitals of the world: this final will be the city's sixth in the history of the Champions League (including the European Cup). The incredible atmosphere of the Spanish capital and the technological capabilities of the arena will surely provide an unforgettable spectacle for hundreds of millions of viewers around the world. We are already looking forward to it!

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