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

The qualifying rounds for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League took place between 7 July and 26 August 2026. While 29 teams secured direct entry into the league phase, the remaining seven spots were contested through several qualifying rounds.

Structure and Paths of Qualification

Qualification consisted of a first, second, and third qualifying round, followed by play-offs. Starting from the second qualifying round, the competition split into two distinct routes:

• Champions Path: For teams who won their domestic leagues.
• League Path: For clubs that qualified via leagues with multiple Champions League spots.

Entry stages for teams depended on their national association’s club coefficient ranking.

The system guarantees that at least 37 different national associations will be represented across the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League league phases. Teams eliminated in qualifying or play-offs are given secondary chances by dropping into the Europa League or Conference League stages accordingly.

Schedule of Qualifying Rounds and Play-offs

• First Qualifying Round: 7/8 & 14/15 July 2026 (Draw on 16 June)
• Second Qualifying Round: 21/22 & 28/29 July 2026 (Draw on 17 June)
• Third Qualifying Round: 4/5 & 11 August 2026 (Draw on 20 July)
• Play-offs: 18/19 & 25/26 August 2026 (Draw on 3 August)

Play-off Round Details

• Teams Involved:
• Champions Path: 10 teams (6 winners from third qualifying round plus 4 new entrants)
• League Path: 4 teams (winners of third qualifying round)

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

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

Outcome: Winners advanced to the league phase, while losing teams moved into the Europa League group stage.

Third Qualifying Round Summary

• Teams:
• Champions Path: 12 teams (all winners from the second qualifying round)
• League Path: 8 teams (6 enter here plus 2 winners from the second qualifying round)

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

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

Outcome: Winners progressed to the play-offs. Losing teams from the champions path entered the Europa League play-off round, while league path losers entered the Europa League group stage.

Second Qualifying Round Breakdown

• Teams:
• Champions Path: 24 teams (10 new entrants plus 14 winners from first qualifying round)
• League Path: 4 new entrants

• 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
• Sturm Graz 4-0 Hearts
• Omonia 1-0 Kairat Almaty
• Levski Sofia 1-0 Universitatea Craiova
• Egnatia 3-3 Celje

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

Outcome: Winners went forward to the third qualifying round. Losers dropped into the Europa League third qualifying round.

First Qualifying Round Results

• Teams: 28 teams in the champions path started here.
• First Legs – 7-8 July 2026:
• 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

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

Outcome: Winners advanced to the second qualifying round (champions path). Most defeated sides switched to the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, except some who received a bye to the third qualifying round.

Upcoming League Phase Draw

The draw for the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League will happen at 18:00 CET on Thursday, 27 August 2026. It will include 36 teams made up of 29 direct qualifiers and the 7 play-off winners.