The 36 participants for this season`s UEFA Champions League have been confirmed. After an exciting qualification process, several new teams will be joining established giants like Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
On Tuesday, three teams secured their inaugural spots in the Champions League league phase during the second leg of the play-off round. The matches delivered plenty of drama. Norway`s Bodo/Glimt comfortably advanced with a 6-2 aggregate win over Austria`s Sturm Graz, largely due to a dominant 5-0 first-leg victory at home. Meanwhile, Cyprus` Pafos and Kazakhstan`s Kairat earned their places with thrilling second-leg performances. Pafos edged past Crvena Zvezda with an 89th-minute goal from Jaja, securing a 3-2 aggregate win. Kairat eliminated Celtic after a goalless aggregate score, triumphing 3-2 in a penalty shootout, thanks to three crucial saves from goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov.
Wednesday saw last season`s Round of 16 contenders Benfica and Club Brugge also qualify for the league phase, alongside Qarabag and Copenhagen. Club Brugge showcased a dominant performance, achieving a stunning 9-1 aggregate victory against Rangers. Copenhagen also secured their spot comfortably, defeating Basel 3-1 on aggregate. Benfica`s progression was tighter, as they secured a 1-0 aggregate win over Jose Mourinho`s Fenerbahce with the sole goal scored in the first half on Wednesday. Qarabag also advanced, overcoming Ferencvaros with a 5-4 aggregate score.
These 36 qualifying teams will soon discover their journey to the final in Budapest`s Puskás Aréna during the official draw held on Thursday.
How to Watch the Champions League Draw
Here`s how you can follow the Champions League draw event:
- Date: Thursday, August 28 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
- Stream: CBS Sports Golazo Network
Champions League Qualified Teams
Below are the qualified teams, categorized by their respective pots for the draw:
- Pot 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
- Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Club Brugge
- Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Tottenham Hotspur, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
- Pot 4: Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle United, Pafos, Kairat, Qarabag, Copenhagen
Play-off Round Final Scores
For those who missed the action, here are the final results from the play-off round:
- Kairat 0, Celtic 0 (teams tied 0-0 on aggregate; Kairat win 3-2 on penalties)
- Pafos 1, Crvena Zvezda 1 (Pafos win 3-2 on aggregate)
- Sturm Graz 2, Bodo/Glimt 1 (Bodo/Glimt win 6-2 on aggregate)
- Qarabag 2, Ferencvaros 3 (Qarabag win 5-4 on aggregate)
- Club Brugge 6, Rangers 0 (Club Brugge win 9-1 on aggregate)
- Benfica 1, Fenerbahce 0 (Benfica win 1-0 on aggregate)
- Copenhagen 2, Basel 0 (Copenhagen win 3-1 on aggregate)
How the Champions League Draw Works
This marks the second season of UEFA`s revised Champions League format, which replaced the traditional group stage with a league phase. In Thursday`s draw, each of the 36 participating teams will be allocated eight distinct opponents for the league phase, with two teams drawn from each pot. Additionally, teams will have four home and four away matches determined during the draw. This new format means the competition no longer operates on a round-robin basis, giving each team a unique league phase schedule.
Once the matches commence, all teams will be ranked in a single league table. The top eight teams from this table will secure direct progression to the Round of 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 24th place will compete in knockout phase playoffs to earn their spot in the last 16.
League Phase Schedule
Here is the schedule for the league phase matchdays:
- Matchday 1: September 16-18
- Matchday 2: September 30-October 1
- Matchday 3: October 21-22
- Matchday 4: November 4-5
- Matchday 5: November 25-26
- Matchday 6: December 9-10
- Matchday 7: January 20-21, 2026
- Matchday 8: January 28, 2026
