Champions League 2026/27 play-offs set for seven league-phase places

Fourteen clubs will compete for the last seven places in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase when the play-off round begins on August 18. The seven ties will determine which teams complete the competition’s league-phase line-up.

The opening legs are scheduled for August 18 and 19, giving each of the 14 clubs one home and one away match in the decisive round. The return fixtures will follow on August 25 and 26, when the final winners of the qualifying route will be confirmed.

Each tie carries a direct route into the Champions League league phase. The seven clubs that prevail over the two legs will take the remaining places available at that stage of the competition.

The teams that fail to progress will not leave European competition. All seven losing clubs will instead enter the UEFA Europa League league phase, giving the play-off round a second route into a major continental competition.

The schedule places the decisive matches across the final week of August. Results from the first legs on August 18 and 19 will shape the return fixtures one week later, but qualification will only be settled after the second matches on August 25 and 26.

The play-offs therefore provide the final competitive step into the 2026/27 Champions League league phase for the seven successful clubs. For the other seven, defeat will mean a move into the Europa League league phase rather than the end of their European campaign.