UEFA Champions League 2026-27: Full List of Clubs in the Group Stage

The UEFA Champions League returns with its annual showcase of elite European football. Paris Saint-Germain, aiming to become the first club in decades to win three consecutive titles, will defend their crown. They face stiff competition from heavyweights like Barcelona, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Notably, newcomers such as Italy's Como have earned their place in this prestigious tournament for the first time.

Teams Qualified Directly for the League Phase

A total of 36 teams will compete in the Champions League group stage. Of these, 29 gained direct entry, while 7 will advance through playoffs. The top four teams from UEFA’s highest-ranked four leagues qualify directly. Additionally, three clubs come from the fifth-ranked league, two from the sixth, and one each from leagues ranked seventh through tenth. Two extra spots are allocated based on the previous season’s UEFA performance, known as European Performance Spots (EPS). This season, England and Spain secured these bonus places, while Germany just missed out.

UEFA League Coefficients and Qualification Spots

• 1. England: 4 + 1 direct qualifiers, 0 playoff spots
• 2. Italy: 4 direct qualifiers, 0 playoff spots
• 3. Spain: 4 + 1 direct qualifiers, 0 playoff spots
• 4. Germany: 4 direct qualifiers, 0 playoff spots
• 5. France: 3 direct qualifiers, 1 playoff spot
• 6. Netherlands: 2 direct qualifiers, 1 playoff spot
• 7. Portugal: 1 direct qualifier, 1 playoff spot
• 8. Belgium: 1 direct qualifier, 1 playoff spot
• 9. Czechia: 1 direct qualifier, 1 playoff spot
• 10. Turkey: 1 direct qualifier, 1 playoff spot

Direct Qualifiers for the Group Stage

• Arsenal (England) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Manchester City (England) - Premier League 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Manchester United (England) - Premier League 3rd place, last appeared 2023/24
• Aston Villa (England) - Premier League 4th place, last appeared 2024/25
• Liverpool (England) - Premier League 5th place*, last appeared 2025/26
• Inter Milan (Italy) - Serie A 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Napoli (Italy) - Serie A 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• AS Roma (Italy) - Serie A 3rd place, last appeared 2018/19
• Como (Italy) - Serie A 4th place, first appearance
• Barcelona (Spain) - La Liga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Real Madrid (Spain) - La Liga 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Villarreal (Spain) - La Liga 3rd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Atletico Madrid (Spain) - La Liga 4th place, last appeared 2025/26
• Real Betis (Spain) - La Liga 5th place*, last appeared 2005/06
• Bayern Munich (Germany) - Bundesliga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Borussia Dortmund (Germany) - Bundesliga 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• RB Leipzig (Germany) - Bundesliga 3rd place, last appeared 2024/25
• Stuttgart (Germany) - Bundesliga 4th place, last appeared 2024/25
• Paris Saint-Germain (France) - Ligue 1 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Lens (France) - Ligue 1 2nd place, last appeared 2023/24
• Lille (France) - Ligue 1 3rd place, last appeared 2024/25
• PSV (Netherlands) - Eredivisie 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Feyenoord (Netherlands) - Eredivisie 2nd place, last appeared 2024/25
• Porto (Portugal) - Primeira Liga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Club Brugge (Belgium) - Pro League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Slavia Prague (Czechia) - First League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Galatasaray (Turkey) - Super Lig 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)** - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Sporting CP (Portugal)*** - Primeira Liga 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26

* These additional spots come via UEFA’s EPS system, which awards extra places to top-performing nations from the previous season.

** Since PSG qualified both as Ligue 1 champions and defending European champions, the Champions League winner’s automatic spot passed to Shakhtar Donetsk, the highest-ranked club by coefficient not already qualified.

*** Because Aston Villa qualified through the Premier League table despite winning the Europa League, this Europa League winner spot transferred to the next highest-ranked club, Sporting CP.

Champions League Qualifying Rounds Participants

Nations ranked 11th or lower in UEFA’s coefficients have their champions enter the playoff rounds along with other qualifiers. Five clubs from the "champions path" and two from the "league path" will progress to the group stage through qualifying.

• Viking (Norway) - Eliteserien 1st place, last appeared 1992/93
• AEK Athens (Greece) - Super League 1st place, last appeared 2023/24
• LASK (Austria) - Bundesliga 1st place, last appeared 2019/20
• Celtic (Scotland) - Premiership 1st place, last appeared 2024/25

• Lyon (France) - Ligue 1 4th place, last appeared 2019/20
• NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) - Eredivisie 3rd place, first appearance
• Union St. Gilloise (Belgium) - Pro League 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Slavia Prague (Czechia) - First League 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Bodo/Glimt* (Norway) - Eliteserien 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Olympiacos* (Greece) - Super League 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26

* Due to spots shifting upward from European champions’ qualification through domestic rankings, these clubs advanced from the second to the third qualifying round.

• Lech Poznan (Poland) - Ekstraklasa 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• AGF (Denmark) - Superliga 1st place, last appeared 1987/88
• Thun (Switzerland) - Super League 1st place, last appeared 2005/06
• Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2018/19
• Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus) - First Division 1st place, last appeared 2021/22
• Mjallby AIF (Sweden) - Allsvenskan 1st place, first appearance
• Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) - Football League 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) - SuperLiga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Fenerbahce (Turkey) - Super Lig 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Sturm Graz (Austria) - Bundesliga 2nd place, last appeared 2025/26
• Hearts (Scotland) - Premiership 2nd place, first appearance
• Gornik Zabrze (Poland) - Ekstraklasa 2nd place, last appeared 1988/89
• Slovan Bratislava* (Slovakia) - First Football League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• NK Celje* (Slovenia) - PrvaLiga 1st place, last appeared 2024/25

* These clubs moved up from the first to the second qualifying round due to earlier adjustments in qualification.

• ETO Gyor (Hungary) - NB I 1st place, last appeared 2013/14
• Universitatea Craiova (Romania) - Liga I 1st place, last appeared 1991/92
• Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) - First Professional League 1st place, last appeared 2009/10
• Sabah (Azerbaijan) - Premier League 1st place, first appearance
• Shamrock Rovers (Republic of Ireland) - Premier Division 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Petrocub Hincesti (Moldova) - Moldova Liga 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland) - Beska Deild Karla 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia & Herzegovina) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Ararat-Armenia (Armenia) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2020/21
• Riga (Latvia) - Higher League 1st place, last appeared 2021/22
• Drita (Kosovo) - Superleague 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• KuPS (Finland) - Veikkausliiga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• KI (Faroe Islands) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Floriana (Malta) - Premier League 1st place, last appeared 2020/21
• Larne (Northern Ireland) - Premiership 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania) - A Lyga 1st place, first appearance
• Flora (Estonia) - Meistriliiga 1st place, last appeared 2024/25
• Egnatia (Albania) - Kategoria Superiore 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Sutjeska (Montenegro) - First League 1st place, last appeared 2022/23
• Atert Bissen (Luxembourg) - National Division 1st place, first appearance
• The New Saints (Wales) - Cymru Premier 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Iberia 1999 (Georgia) - Erovnuli Liga 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Vardar (Macedonia) - First League 1st place, last appeared 2017/18
• ML Vitebsk (Belarus) - Premier League 1st place, first appearance
• Inter Club d'Escaldes (Andorra) - Premiera Divisio 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) - Football League 1st place, last appeared 2025/26
• Tre Fiori (San Marino) - Campionato di Calcio 1st place, last appeared 2020/21