Everything you need to know about the 26/27 Champions League: Draws, dates & more

[p]To help you follow every step on the road to the final, we explain what you need to know about the upcoming 2026/27 Champions League season in what follows, from the key dates to the draws, and more.[/p][h2]Qualifying phase: How does it work?[/h2][p]29 teams have already directly qualified for the league phase. The remaining seven spots are decided in a qualifying phase that ends with the play-offs in August, with clubs participating according to the coefficient ranking of their respective federations. All knockout rounds are played over two legs.[/p][h2]Dates for the knockout rounds and play-offs[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round:[/b] July 7th/8th and 14th/15th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round:[/b] July 21st/22nd and 28th/29th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]August 4th/5th and 11th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs: [/b]August 18th/19th and 25th/26th, 2026[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/europe/champions-league/"]Follow the Champions League qualifiers with Flashscore![/a][/h2][embed guid="3ed09a1f-7f6c-4fb6-92a7-0083e2d55024" url="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/2084288931915235646" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Which teams have already qualified?[/h2][p]The following 29 teams have already qualified for the Champions League proper:[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] (England); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] (England); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a] (England); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] (England); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] (England); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] (Spain); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]FC Barcelona[/a] (Spain); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atl-madrid/jaarqpLQ/"]Atletico Madrid[/a] (Spain); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/villarreal/lUatW5jE/"]Villarreal[/a] (Spain); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"]Real Betis[/a] (Spain); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a] (Italy); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/napoli/69Dxbc61/"]Napoli[/a] (Italy); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/as-roma/zVqqL0ma/"]AS Roma[/a] (Italy); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/como/ttyLthOA/"]Como[/a] (Italy); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayern-munich/nVp0wiqd/"]Bayern Munich[/a] (Germany); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dortmund/nP1i5US1/"]Borussia Dortmund[/a] (Germany); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rb-leipzig/KbS1suSm/"]RB Leipzig[/a] (Germany); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vfb-stuttgart/nJQmYp1B/"]VfB Stuttgart[/a] (Germany); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] (France); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lens/IBmris38/"]RC Lens[/a] (France); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lille/pfDZL71o/"]LOSC Lille[/a] (France); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psv/M9UEHJWi/"]PSV Eindhoven[/a] (Netherlands); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/feyenoord/8zjySeoN/"]Feyenoord[/a] (Netherlands); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]FC Porto[/a] (Portugal); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sporting-cp/tljXuHBC/"]Sporting CP[/a] (Portugal); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/club-brugge/rgTHIK74/"]Club Brugge[/a] (Belgium); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/galatasaray/riaqqurF/"]Galatasaray[/a] (Turkey); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/shakhtar/4ENWX2OA/"]Shakhtar Donetsk[/a] (Ukraine); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slavia-prague/viXGgnyB/"]Slavia Prague[/a] (Czechia)[/p][h2]When are the league phase matchdays?[/h2][p][b]Matchday 1: [/b]September 8th-10th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 2: [/b]October 13th-14th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 3:[/b] November 20th-21st, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 4:[/b] November 3rd-4th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 5:[/b] November 24th-25th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 6:[/b] December 8th-9th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 7:[/b] January 19th-20th, 2027[/p][p][b]Matchday 8:[/b] January 27th, 2027[/p][h2]When are the knockout rounds played?[/h2][p][b]Knockout play-offs:[/b] February 16th-17th and 23rd-24th, 2027[/p][p][b]Round of 16:[/b] March 9th-10th and 16th-17th, 2027[/p][p][b]Quarter-finals:[/b] April 6th-7th and 13th-14th, 2027[/p][p][b]Semi-finals: [/b]April 27th-28th and May 4th-5th, 2027[/p][p][b]Final: [/b]June 5th, 2027[/p][image alt="Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano will host the final of the 2026/27 Champions League" id="2e7614e2-7dfc-44fc-b4e3-b7fedc3c281e" credit-line="ANGEL MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="850bf23b-cac0-491d-8f09-1c9df5ae8c89" original-width="5136" original-height="3424" /][h2]When are the various Champions League draws?[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round: [/b]June 16th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round: [/b]June 17th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]July 20th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs:[/b] August 3rd, 2026[/p][p][b]League phase:[/b] August 27th, 2026[/p][p][i](The dates for the knockout phase draws are yet to be confirmed.)[/i][/p][h2]When and where is the Champions League final?[/h2][p]The Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atletico Madrid, will host the final of the 2026/27 Champions League on Saturday, June 5th, 2027, where the winner will be crowned.[/p][p]This will be the second time this stadium hosts the Champions League final. The first was in 2019, when Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 in the an all-English decider.[/p]