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2025–26 UEFA Champions League

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2025–26 UEFA Champions League
Puskás Aréna in Budapest will host the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
8 July – 27 August 2025
Competition proper:
16 September 2025 – 30 May 2026
TeamsCompetition proper: 36
Total: 82 (from 53 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played144
Goals scored487 (3.38 per match)
Attendance6,080,760 (42,228 per match)
Top scorer(s)Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
13 goals
All statistics correct as of 28 January 2026.

The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League is the 71st season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 34th season since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions, having secured their maiden title the previous season.

The final will be played on 30 May 2026 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.[1] It will be the first time Puskás Aréna will host a Champions League final. The stadium previously hosted the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, several matches of UEFA Euro 2020, and the 2023 UEFA Europa League final.[2][3] The winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League will automatically qualify for the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League league phase, the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup group stage, and earn the right to play against the winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup. This is the first Champions League season to feature six clubs from one nation, with England earning an extra spot through UEFA coefficient ranking and Tottenham Hotspur having won the previous season's UEFA Europa League.[4]

Association team allocation

[edit]

A total of 82 teams from 53 of the 55 UEFA member associations are set to participate in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League (the exceptions being Liechtenstein which does not organise a domestic league and Russia which is currently suspended). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[5]

  • Associations 1–5 each have four teams.
  • Association 6 has three teams.
  • Associations 7–15 each have two teams.
  • Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein[Note LIE] and Russia[Note RUS]) each have one team.
  • The winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League and 2024–25 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league.
  • The two associations with the best coefficients in the 2024–25 season will each have one European Performance Spot into the league phase. The winners of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League cannot fill the European Performance Spots.

Association ranking

[edit]

For the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2024 UEFA association coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2019–20 to 2023–24.[6] The table reflects Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA.

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

  • (EPS) – European Performance Spot, the additional berths for associations who finish in the top 2 of the 2024–25 association coefficients
  • (TH) – Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders
  • (EL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2025–26 UEFA Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1  England 104.303 4 +1 (EPS)
+1 (EL)
2  Italy 90.284
3  Spain 89.489 +1 (EPS)
4  Germany 86.624
5  France 66.831
6  Netherlands 61.300 3
7  Portugal 56.316 2
8  Belgium 48.800
9  Turkey 38.600
10  Czech Republic 36.050
11  Scotland 36.050
12  Switzerland 32.975
13  Austria 32.600
14  Norway 31.625
15  Greece 31.525
16  Denmark 31.450 1
17  Israel 31.125
18  Ukraine 28.000
19  Serbia 27.775
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20  Croatia 25.525 1
21  Poland 25.375
22  Russia 22.965 0 [Note RUS]
23  Cyprus 22.100 1
24  Hungary 21.875
25  Sweden 21.500
26  Romania 21.375
27  Bulgaria 20.375
28  Azerbaijan 20.125
29  Slovakia 19.625
30  Slovenia 13.250
31  Moldova 13.125
32  Kosovo 11.541
33  Kazakhstan 11.500
34  Finland 11.125
35  Republic of Ireland 10.875
36  Armenia 10.625
37  Latvia 10.625
38  Faroe Islands 10.375
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
39  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.000 1
40  Liechtenstein 10.000 0 [Note LIE]
41  Iceland 9.583 1
42  Northern Ireland 9.208
43  Luxembourg 8.625
44  Lithuania 8.500
45  Malta 8.250
46  Georgia 7.625
47  Albania 7.375
48  Estonia 7.207
49  Belarus 6.625
50  North Macedonia 6.000
51  Andorra 5.998
52  Wales 5.791
53  Montenegro 5.708
54  Gibraltar 4.957
55  San Marino 1.832

Distribution

[edit]
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from the previous round
First qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 28 champions from associations 25–27 and 30–55 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
Second qualifying round
(30 teams) 		Champions Path
(24 teams)
  • 8 champions from associations 16–24 (except Russia)[Note RUS]
  • 2 champions from associations 28 and 29 as the teams with the highest club coefficients, originally from the first qualification round
  • 14 winners from the first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round
(20 teams) 		Champions Path
(12 teams)
  • 12 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(8 teams)
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 1 third-placed team from association 6
  • 1 fourth-placed team from association 5
  • 3 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round
(14 teams) 		Champions Path
(10 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 11–14
  • 6 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(4 teams)
  • 4 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path)
League phase
(36 teams)
  • UEFA Europa League title holders
  • 2 associations with the highest coefficients from the previous season receive an extra Champions League league phase berth.
  • 10 champions from associations 1–10
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 5 third-placed teams from associations 1–5
  • 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 1 champion from association 15 as the team with the highest club coefficient, originally from the second round of the Champions Path
  • 5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 winners from the play-off round (League Path)
Knockout phase play-offs
(16 teams)
  • 16 teams ranked 9–24 from the league phase
Round of 16
(16 teams)
  • 8 teams ranked 1–8 from the league phase
  • 8 winners from the knockout phase play-offs

The information here reflects the ongoing suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list have been made:

  • The champions of associations 23 (Cyprus) and 24 (Hungary) will enter the second qualifying round (Champions Path) instead of the first qualifying round.

As the Champions League title holders (Paris Saint-Germain) qualified via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list have been made:

  • Olympiacos as the club with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the Champions Path of the qualifying phase or play-off round, will enter the league phase instead of the Champions Path second qualifying round.
  • Slovan Bratislava and Qarabağ, as the two clubs with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the Champions Path first qualifying round, will enter the Champions Path second qualifying round.

Teams

[edit]

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • TH: Champions League title holders
  • EL: Europa League title holders
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
  • EPS: European Performance Spots – the additional berths given to clubs from the two associations with the highest coefficient points in 2024–25

The label of European Performance Spots and title holders already qualified via league position are superscripted.

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).

Qualified teams for 2025–26 UEFA Champions League
Entry round Teams
League phase France Paris Saint-Germain (1st)TH England Tottenham Hotspur (EL) England Liverpool (1st) England Arsenal (2nd)
England Manchester City (3rd) England Chelsea (4th) England Newcastle United (5th)EPS Italy Napoli (1st)
Italy Inter Milan (2nd) Italy Atalanta (3rd) Italy Juventus (4th) Spain Barcelona (1st)
Spain Real Madrid (2nd) Spain Atlético Madrid (3rd) Spain Athletic Bilbao (4th) Spain Villarreal (5th)EPS
Germany Bayern Munich (1st) Germany Bayer Leverkusen (2nd) Germany Eintracht Frankfurt (3rd) Germany Borussia Dortmund (4th)
France Marseille (2nd) France Monaco (3rd) Netherlands PSV Eindhoven (1st) Netherlands Ajax (2nd)
Portugal Sporting CP (1st) Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise (1st) Turkey Galatasaray (1st) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (1st)
Greece Olympiacos (1st)
Play-off round CH Scotland Celtic (1st) Switzerland Basel (1st) Austria Sturm Graz (1st) Norway Bodø/Glimt (1st)
Third qualifying round LP France Nice (4th) Netherlands Feyenoord (3rd) Portugal Benfica (2nd) Belgium Club Brugge (2nd)
Turkey Fenerbahçe (2nd)
Second qualifying round CH Denmark Copenhagen (1st) Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv (1st) Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (1st) Serbia Red Star Belgrade (1st)
Croatia Rijeka (1st) Poland Lech Poznań (1st) Cyprus Pafos (1st) Hungary Ferencváros (1st)
Azerbaijan Qarabağ (1st) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (1st)
LP Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň (2nd) Scotland Rangers (2nd) Switzerland Servette (2nd) Austria Red Bull Salzburg (2nd)
Norway Brann (2nd) Greece Panathinaikos (2nd)
First qualifying round CH Sweden Malmö FF (1st) Romania FCSB (1st) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (1st) Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana (1st)
Moldova Milsami Orhei (1st) Kosovo Drita (1st) Kazakhstan Kairat (1st) Finland KuPS (1st)
Republic of Ireland Shelbourne (1st) Armenia Noah (1st) Latvia RFS (1st) Faroe Islands Víkingur Gøta (1st)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar (1st) Iceland Breiðablik (1st) Northern Ireland Linfield (1st) Luxembourg Differdange 03 (1st)
Lithuania Žalgiris (1st) Malta Hamrun Spartans (1st) Georgia (country) Iberia 1999 (1st) Albania Egnatia (1st)
Estonia Levadia Tallinn (1st) Belarus Dinamo Minsk (1st) North Macedonia Shkëndija (1st) Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st)
Wales The New Saints (1st) Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (1st) Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps (1st) San Marino Virtus (1st)
  1. ^
    Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all play in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV is the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualify for the UEFA Conference League for the 2025–26 season.
  2. ^
    Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[8]

Schedule

[edit]

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[9] One "exclusive week" was held in which Thursday was also a matchday.[10][11] All matches in other weeks will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from Matchday 8 (Wednesday only) and the final.

Schedule for 2025–26 UEFA Champions League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 17 June 2025 8–9 July 2025 15–16 July 2025
Second qualifying round 18 June 2025 22–23 July 2025 29–30 July 2025
Third qualifying round 21 July 2025 5–6 August 2025 12 August 2025
Play-offs Play-off round 4 August 2025 19–20 August 2025 26–27 August 2025
League phase Matchday 1 28 August 2025 16–18 September 2025
Matchday 2 30 September – 1 October 2025
Matchday 3 21–22 October 2025
Matchday 4 4–5 November 2025
Matchday 5 25–26 November 2025
Matchday 6 9–10 December 2025
Matchday 7 20–21 January 2026
Matchday 8 28 January 2026
Knockout phase Knockout phase play-offs 30 January 2026 17–18 February 2026 24–25 February 2026
Round of 16 27 February 2026 10–11 March 2026 17–18 March 2026
Quarter-finals N/a 7–8 April 2026 14–15 April 2026
Semi-finals 28–29 April 2026 5–6 May 2026
Final 30 May 2026 at Puskás Aréna, Budapest

Qualifying rounds

[edit]
Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds

First qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025. The first legs were played on 8 and 9 July, and the second legs were played on 15 and 16 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. Twelve of the losing teams were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round, and the other two losing teams (selected via a draw) were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.

First qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Žalgiris Lithuania2–2 (10–11 p)Malta Hamrun Spartans2–00–2 (a.e.t.)
KuPS Finland1–0Moldova Milsami Orhei1–00–0
The New Saints Wales1–2North Macedonia Shkëndija0–01–2 (a.e.t.)
Iberia 1999 Georgia (country)2–6Sweden Malmö FF1–31–3
FCI Levadia Estonia0–2Latvia RFS0–10–1
Drita Kosovo4–2Luxembourg Differdange 031–03–2
Víkingur Gøta Faroe Islands2–4Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps2–30–1
Egnatia Albania1–5Iceland Breiðablik1–00–5
Shelbourne Republic of Ireland2–1Northern Ireland Linfield1–01–1
FCSB Romania4–3Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes3–11–2
Virtus San Marino1–4Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar0–21–2
Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenia1–3Kazakhstan Kairat1–10–2
Noah Armenia3–2Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica1–02–2
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria3–2Belarus Dinamo Minsk1–02–2 (a.e.t.)

Second qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025. The first legs were played on 22 and 23 July, and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
RFS Latvia1–5Sweden Malmö FF1–40–1
Hamrun Spartans Malta0–6Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv0–30–3
Pafos Cyprus2–1Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv1–11–0
Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar1–6Serbia Red Star Belgrade0–11–5
Noah Armenia4–6Hungary Ferencváros1–23–4
Lech Poznań Poland8–1Iceland Breiðablik7–11–0
Copenhagen Denmark3–0Kosovo Drita2–01–0
Rijeka Croatia1–3Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad0–01–3 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija North Macedonia3–1Romania FCSB1–02–1
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia6–2Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar4–02–2
Shelbourne Republic of Ireland0–4Azerbaijan Qarabağ0–30–1
KuPS Finland2–3Kazakhstan Kairat2–00–3
League Path
Brann Norway2–5Austria Red Bull Salzburg1–41–1
Viktoria Plzeň Czech Republic3–2Switzerland Servette0–13–1
Rangers Scotland3–1Greece Panathinaikos2–01–1

Third qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 21 July 2025. The first legs were played on 5 and 6 August, and the second legs were played on 12 August 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round. The losers of the Champions Path were transferred to the Europa League play-off round. The losers of the League Path were transferred to the Europa League league phase.

Third qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Malmö FF Sweden0–5Denmark Copenhagen0–00–5
Kairat Kazakhstan1–1 (4–3 p)Slovakia Slovan Bratislava1–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Lech Poznań Poland2–4Serbia Red Star Belgrade1–31–1
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria0–3Hungary Ferencváros0–00–3
Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine0–3Cyprus Pafos0–10–2
Shkëndija North Macedonia1–6Azerbaijan Qarabağ0–11–5
League Path
Red Bull Salzburg Austria2–4Belgium Club Brugge0–12–3
Rangers Scotland4–2Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň3–01–2
Nice France0–4Portugal Benfica0–20–2
Feyenoord Netherlands4–6Turkey Fenerbahçe2–12–5

Play-off round

[edit]
Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Champions League play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2025. The first legs were played on 19 and 20 August, and the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the league phase. The losers were transferred to the Europa League league phase.

Play-off round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Ferencváros Hungary4–5Azerbaijan Qarabağ1–33–2
Red Star Belgrade Serbia2–3Cyprus Pafos1–21–1
Bodø/Glimt Norway6–2Austria Sturm Graz5–01–2
Celtic Scotland0–0 (2–3 p)Kazakhstan Kairat0–00–0 (a.e.t.)
Basel Switzerland1–3Denmark Copenhagen1–10–2
League Path
Fenerbahçe Turkey0–1Portugal Benfica0–00–1
Rangers Scotland1–9Belgium Club Brugge1–30–6

League phase

[edit]
Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase
class=notpageimage|
Location of Benelux teams in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase

The league phase draw for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 28 August 2025. The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient, except for the Champions League title holders, who were automatically placed as the top seed in pot 1.

The 36 teams were manually drawn and then automated software drew their eight different opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team faced two opponents from each of the four pots, one at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association.[12]

Bodø/Glimt, Kairat, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise made their debut appearances in the league phase/group stage. Kairat, based in Almaty, became the easternmost team to ever qualify for the Champions League proper,[13][14] and, after being drawn to play away against Sporting CP, broke the record for the longest trip in UEFA competitions, travelling 4,294 miles (6,911 km) from Almaty to Lisbon.[15][16] In addition, Bodø/Glimt, based in Bodø within the Arctic Circle, became the northernmost European team to ever compete in the Champions League.[17] This marked the first time a Norwegian team participated in the competition proper since the 2007–08 season,[18] and was also the first season since 2005–06 in which no Ukrainian sides qualified for the group stage/league phase.[19]

A total of 16 national associations were represented in the league phase.

Table

[edit]

The top eight ranked teams advanced to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will compete in the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th were eliminated from all competitions.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 England Arsenal 8 8 0 0 23 4 +19 24 Advance to round of 16 (seeded)
2 Germany Bayern Munich 8 7 0 1 22 8 +14 21
3 England Liverpool 8 6 0 2 20 8 +12 18
4 England Tottenham Hotspur 8 5 2 1 17 7 +10 17
5 Spain Barcelona 8 5 1 2 22 14 +8 16
6 England Chelsea 8 5 1 2 17 10 +7 16
7 Portugal Sporting CP 8 5 1 2 17 11 +6 16
8 England Manchester City 8 5 1 2 15 9 +6 16
9 Spain Real Madrid 8 5 0 3 21 12 +9 15 Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded)
10 Italy Inter Milan 8 5 0 3 15 7 +8 15
11 France Paris Saint-Germain 8 4 2 2 21 11 +10 14
12 England Newcastle United 8 4 2 2 17 7 +10 14
13 Italy Juventus 8 3 4 1 14 10 +4 13
14 Spain Atlético Madrid 8 4 1 3 17 15 +2 13
15 Italy Atalanta 8 4 1 3 10 10 0 13
16 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 8 3 3 2 13 14 −1 12
17 Germany Borussia Dortmund 8 3 2 3 19 17 +2 11 Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded)
18 Greece Olympiacos 8 3 2 3 10 14 −4 11
19 Belgium Club Brugge 8 3 1 4 15 17 −2 10
20 Turkey Galatasaray 8 3 1 4 9 11 −2 10
21 France Monaco 8 2 4 2 8 14 −6 10
22 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 8 3 1 4 13 21 −8 10
23 Norway Bodø/Glimt 8 2 3 3 14 15 −1 9
24 Portugal Benfica 8 3 0 5 10 12 −2 9
25 France Marseille 8 3 0 5 11 14 −3 9
26 Cyprus Pafos 8 2 3 3 8 11 −3 9
27 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise 8 3 0 5 8 17 −9 9
28 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 8 2 2 4 16 16 0 8
29 Spain Athletic Bilbao 8 2 2 4 9 14 −5 8
30 Italy Napoli 8 2 2 4 9 15 −6 8
31 Denmark Copenhagen 8 2 2 4 12 21 −9 8
32 Netherlands Ajax 8 2 0 6 8 21 −13 6
33 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 8 1 1 6 10 21 −11 4
34 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 8 0 3 5 5 19 −14 3
35 Spain Villarreal 8 0 1 7 5 18 −13 1
36 Kazakhstan Kairat 8 0 1 7 7 22 −15 1
Source: UEFA[20]
Rules for classification: League phase tiebreakers


The final matchday on 28 January saw significant movement in the table; Real Madrid fell to 9th place following a 4–2 defeat to Benfica, while Sporting CP secured a direct Round of 16 berth with a late stoppage-time winner against Athletic Club

Results

[edit]
Matchday 1
Home teamScoreAway team
Athletic Bilbao Spain0–2England Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands1–3Belgium Union Saint‑Gilloise
Juventus Italy4–4Germany Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid Spain2–1France Marseille
Benfica Portugal2–3Azerbaijan Qarabağ
Tottenham Hotspur England1–0Spain Villarreal
Olympiacos Greece0–0Cyprus Pafos
Slavia Prague Czech Republic2–2Norway Bodø/Glimt
Ajax Netherlands0–2Italy Inter Milan
Bayern Munich Germany3–1England Chelsea
Liverpool England3–2Spain Atlético Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain France4–0Italy Atalanta
Club Brugge Belgium4–1France Monaco
Copenhagen Denmark2–2Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany5–1Turkey Galatasaray
Manchester City England2–0Italy Napoli
Newcastle United England1–2Spain Barcelona
Sporting CP Portugal4–1Kazakhstan Kairat
Matchday 2
Home teamScoreAway team
Atalanta Italy2–1Belgium Club Brugge
Kairat Kazakhstan0–5Spain Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid Spain5–1Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Chelsea England1–0Portugal Benfica
Inter Milan Italy3–0Czech Republic Slavia Prague
Bodø/Glimt Norway2–2England Tottenham Hotspur
Galatasaray Turkey1–0England Liverpool
Marseille France4–0Netherlands Ajax
Pafos Cyprus1–5Germany Bayern Munich
Qarabağ Azerbaijan2–0Denmark Copenhagen
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium0–4England Newcastle United
Arsenal England2–0Greece Olympiacos
Monaco France2–2England Manchester City
Bayer Leverkusen Germany1–1Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Borussia Dortmund Germany4–1Spain Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona Spain1–2France Paris Saint-Germain
Napoli Italy2–1Portugal Sporting CP
Villarreal Spain2–2Italy Juventus
Matchday 3
Home teamScoreAway team
Barcelona Spain6–1Greece Olympiacos
Kairat Kazakhstan0–0Cyprus Pafos
Arsenal England4–0Spain Atlético Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen Germany2–7France Paris Saint‑Germain
Copenhagen Denmark2–4Germany Borussia Dortmund
Newcastle United England3–0Portugal Benfica
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands6–2Italy Napoli
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium0–4Italy Inter Milan
Villarreal Spain0–2England Manchester City
Athletic Bilbao Spain3–1Azerbaijan Qarabağ
Galatasaray Turkey3–1Norway Bodø/Glimt
Monaco France0–0England Tottenham Hotspur
Atalanta Italy0–0Czech Republic Slavia Prague
Chelsea England5–1Netherlands Ajax
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany1–5England Liverpool
Bayern Munich Germany4–0Belgium Club Brugge
Real Madrid Spain1–0Italy Juventus
Sporting CP Portugal2–1France Marseille
Matchday 4
Home teamScoreAway team
Slavia Prague Czech Republic0–3England Arsenal
Napoli Italy0–0Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Atlético Madrid Spain3–1Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
Bodø/Glimt Norway0–1France Monaco
Juventus Italy1–1Portugal Sporting CP
Liverpool England1–0Spain Real Madrid
Olympiacos Greece1–1Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Paris Saint-Germain France1–2Germany Bayern Munich
Tottenham Hotspur England4–0Denmark Copenhagen
Pafos Cyprus1–0Spain Villarreal
Qarabağ Azerbaijan2–2England Chelsea
Ajax Netherlands0–3Turkey Galatasaray
Club Brugge Belgium3–3Spain Barcelona
Inter Milan Italy2–1Kazakhstan Kairat
Manchester City England4–1Germany Borussia Dortmund
Newcastle United England2–0Spain Athletic Bilbao
Marseille France0–1Italy Atalanta
Benfica Portugal0–1Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Matchday 5
Home teamScoreAway team
Ajax Netherlands0–2Portugal Benfica
Galatasaray Turkey0–1Belgium Union Saint‑Gilloise
Borussia Dortmund Germany4–0Spain Villarreal
Chelsea England3–0Spain Barcelona
Bodø/Glimt Norway2–3Italy Juventus
Manchester City England0–2Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Marseille France2–1England Newcastle United
Slavia Prague Czech Republic0–0Spain Athletic Bilbao
Napoli Italy2–0Azerbaijan Qarabağ
Copenhagen Denmark3–2Kazakhstan Kairat
Pafos Cyprus2–2France Monaco
Arsenal England3–1Germany Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid Spain2–1Italy Inter Milan
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany0–3Italy Atalanta
Liverpool England1–4Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Olympiacos Greece3–4Spain Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain France5–3England Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting CP Portugal3–0Belgium Club Brugge
Matchday 6
Home teamScoreAway team
Kairat Kazakhstan0–1Greece Olympiacos
Bayern Munich Germany3–1Portugal Sporting CP
Monaco France1–0Turkey Galatasaray
Atalanta Italy2–1England Chelsea
Barcelona Spain2–1Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Inter Milan Italy0–1England Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands2–3Spain Atlético Madrid
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium2–3France Marseille
Tottenham Hotspur England3–0Czech Republic Slavia Prague
Qarabağ Azerbaijan2–4Netherlands Ajax
Villarreal Spain2–3Denmark Copenhagen
Athletic Bilbao Spain0–0France Paris Saint-Germain
Bayer Leverkusen Germany2–2England Newcastle United
Borussia Dortmund Germany2–2Norway Bodø/Glimt
Club Brugge Belgium0–3England Arsenal
Juventus Italy2–0Cyprus Pafos
Real Madrid Spain1–2England Manchester City
Benfica Portugal2–0Italy Napoli
Matchday 7
Home teamScoreAway team
Kairat Kazakhstan1–4Belgium Club Brugge
Bodø/Glimt Norway3–1England Manchester City
Copenhagen Denmark1–1Italy Napoli
Inter Milan Italy1–3England Arsenal
Olympiacos Greece2–0Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Real Madrid Spain6–1France Monaco
Sporting CP Portugal2–1France Paris Saint-Germain
Tottenham Hotspur England2–0Germany Borussia Dortmund
Villarreal Spain1–2Netherlands Ajax
Galatasaray Turkey1–1Spain Atlético Madrid
Qarabağ Azerbaijan3–2Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Atalanta Italy2–3Spain Athletic Bilbao
Chelsea England1–0Cyprus Pafos
Bayern Munich Germany2–0Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
Juventus Italy2–0Portugal Benfica
Newcastle United England3–0Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Marseille France0–3England Liverpool
Slavia Prague Czech Republic2–4Spain Barcelona
Matchday 8
Home teamScoreAway team
Ajax Netherlands1–2Greece Olympiacos
Arsenal England3–2Kazakhstan Kairat
Monaco France0–0Italy Juventus
Athletic Bilbao Spain2–3Portugal Sporting CP
Atlético Madrid Spain1–2Norway Bodø/Glimt
Bayer Leverkusen Germany3–0Spain Villarreal
Borussia Dortmund Germany0–2Italy Inter Milan
Club Brugge Belgium3–0France Marseille
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany0–2England Tottenham Hotspur
Barcelona Spain4–1Denmark Copenhagen
Liverpool England6–0Azerbaijan Qarabağ
Manchester City England2–0Turkey Galatasaray
Pafos Cyprus4–1Czech Republic Slavia Prague
Paris Saint-Germain France1–1England Newcastle United
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands1–2Germany Bayern Munich
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium1–0Italy Atalanta
Benfica Portugal4–2Spain Real Madrid
Napoli Italy2–3England Chelsea

Knockout phase

[edit]
Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams will play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The top eight teams from the final standings in the league phase entered at the round of 16. In the knockout phase, there is no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams can also face opponents they played during the league phase.

The mechanism of the draws for each round is as follows:[5]

  • In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 were seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 were unseeded. The draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams will host the second leg.
  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 will be seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs will be unseeded. Again, the draw will be split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams will host the second leg.

In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the exact match pairings and order of legs were predetermined based on the tournament bracket. The higher-seeded teams, assuming they advance, will play the second leg of each round at home. Should a seeded team be beaten, the team that eliminates them will assume their seeding position. The winner of semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

[edit]
Knockout phase play-offsRound of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
21France Monaco
11France Paris Saint-Germain France Winner PO1
5/6 Barcelona or Chelsea
Winner R16–1
20Turkey Galatasaray
Winner R16–2
13Italy Juventus Winner PO2
3/4England Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur
Winner QF1
24Portugal Benfica
Winner QF2
9Spain Real Madrid Winner PO3
7/8 Sporting CP or Manchester City
Winner R16–3
17Germany Borussia Dortmund
Winner R16–4
15Italy Atalanta Winner PO4
30 May – Budapest
1/2 Arsenal or Bayern Munich
Winner SF1
22Azerbaijan Qarabağ
Winner SF2
12England Newcastle United Winner PO5
6/5 Chelsea or Barcelona
Winner R16–5
19Belgium Club Brugge
Winner R16–6
14Spain Atlético Madrid Winner PO6
4/3England Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool
Winner QF3
23Norway Bodø/Glimt
Winner QF4
10Italy Inter Milan Winner PO7
8/7 Manchester City or Sporting CP
Winner R16–7
18Greece Olympiacos
Winner R16–8
16Germany Bayer Leverkusen Winner PO8
2/1 Bayern Munich or Arsenal

Knockout phase play-offs

[edit]

The draw for the knockout phase play-offs was held on 30 January 2026, 12:00 CET.[21] The first legs will be played on 17 and 18 February, and the second legs will be played on 24 and 25 February 2026.[22]

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Monaco France1France Paris Saint-Germain17 Feb25 Feb
Galatasaray Turkey2Italy Juventus17 Feb25 Feb
Benfica Portugal3Spain Real Madrid17 Feb25 Feb
Borussia Dortmund Germany4Italy Atalanta17 Feb25 Feb
Qarabağ Azerbaijan5England Newcastle United18 Feb24 Feb
Club Brugge Belgium6Spain Atlético Madrid18 Feb24 Feb
Bodø/Glimt Norway7Italy Inter Milan18 Feb24 Feb
Olympiacos Greece8Germany Bayer Leverkusen18 Feb24 Feb

Round of 16

[edit]

The draw for the round of 16 will be held on 27 February 2026. The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, and the second legs will be played on 17 and 18 March 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner PO1 France1Barcelona or Chelsea10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO22England Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO33Sporting CP or Manchester City10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO44Arsenal or Bayern Munich10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO55Chelsea or Barcelona10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO66England Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO77Manchester City or Sporting CP10–11 Mar17–18 Mar
Winner PO88Bayern Munich or Arsenal10–11 Mar17–18 Mar

Quarter-finals

[edit]

The first legs will be played on 7 and 8 April, and the second legs will be played on 14 and 15 April 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner R16–11Winner R16–27–8 Apr14–15 Apr
Winner R16–32Winner R16–47–8 Apr14–15 Apr
Winner R16–53Winner R16–67–8 Apr14–15 Apr
Winner R16–74Winner R16–87–8 Apr14–15 Apr

Semi-finals

[edit]

The first legs will be played on 28 and 29 April, and the second legs will be played on 5 and 6 May 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner QF11Winner QF228–29 Apr5–6 May
Winner QF32Winner QF428–29 Apr5–6 May

Final

[edit]
Main article: 2026 UEFA Champions League final

The final will be played on 30 May 2026 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. The winner of semi-final 1 was designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.

Winner SF1 v Winner SF2

Statistics

[edit]

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Table correct as of 28 January 2026.

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank[23] Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 France Kylian Mbappé Spain Real Madrid 13 621
2 England Harry Kane Germany Bayern Munich 8 607
3 Norway Erling Haaland England Manchester City 7 617
4 Brazil Gabriel Martinelli England Arsenal 6 383
Nigeria Victor Osimhen Turkey Galatasaray 496
England Anthony Gordon England Newcastle United 562
7 England Harvey Barnes England Newcastle United 5 453
England Marcus Rashford Spain Barcelona 464
Spain Gorka Guruzeta Spain Athletic Bilbao 469
Spain Fermín López Spain Barcelona 533
Portugal Vitinha France Paris Saint-Germain 719

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Budapest to host UEFA Champions League Final 2026". Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  2. ^ "2020 UEFA Super Cup: Bayern 2–1 Sevilla". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Sevilla beat Roma on penalties in 2023 Europa League final". UEFA. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Premier League set to have SIX clubs in Champions League". Premier League. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2024/25 Season". Nyon: UEFA. 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Association coefficients 2023/24". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". BBC.co.uk. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. ^ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs. However this could change depending on what happens" (Press release). Nyon: UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. ^ "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  10. ^ Sheldon, Dan (16 May 2023). "How the new Champions League format works". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  11. ^ Dunbar, Graham (10 July 2023). "More national derby games possible when revamped Champions League starts next year". AP News. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  12. ^ "UEFA Club Competitions 2024/25 onwards: new league phase draw procedures explained". UEFA. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  13. ^ Flanagan, Chris (26 August 2025). "Welcome to Kairat Almaty: the Champions League's easternmost fixture". FourFourTwo.
  14. ^ Kenmare, Jack (26 August 2025). "Kairat Almaty create piece of Champions League history after win over Celtic and it may never be topped". SPORTbible.
  15. ^ "Farthest distance travelled between competitors in the football (soccer) UEFA Champions League". Guinness World Records. 18 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Kairat Almaty make record-breaking trip for historic night". Yahoo Sports. 18 September 2025.
  17. ^ Rajan, Adwaidh (26 August 2025). "Pafos, Bodo/Glimt join Kairat among CL debutants". BBC Sport.
  18. ^ "Champions League play-off second legs round-up: Bodø/Glimt, Kairat Almaty, Pafos through to league phase". UEFA. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Dynamo eliminated from the Champions League: Ukraine without a group stage for the first time in 20 years". 112 Ukraine. 12 August 2025.
  20. ^ "League phase table". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  21. ^ "UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw: Where is it, when is it, who is involved?". UEFA. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  22. ^ "2025/26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs" (PDF). UEFA. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  23. ^ "UEFA Champions League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
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