The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League isn’t just underway, it’s been cooking for a few weeks.
And now the playoff round is here, with the likes of Celtic, Rangers, Fenerbahce, Benfica, Club Brugge and Copenhagen scrapping for a spot in the League Phase.
MORE — Chelsea win the 2025-26 Club World Cup
Yes, it’ll still be some time before champions Paris Saint-Germain and their big-named chasers join the fray, but we’re off and running in the race to Budapest.
For all the details of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, read on....
How does UEFA Champions League qualifying work?
Eighty-two teams will participate in the UEFA Champions League beginning with the first qualifying round in early July.
Ten rounds later, two teams will meet to determine the champion of Europe.
Here’s who enters and when:
First qualifying round: Twenty-eight champions from associations 25-27 and 30-55
Second qualifying round: Eight champions from associations 16-24, excluding Russia, plus two champions from associations 28 and 29 enter the champions path. Six runners-up from associations 10-15 begin the league path.
Third qualifying round: Five teams more teams enter the league path.
Playoff round: Four champions from associations 11-14.
League phase: Ten champions from associations 1-10, six runners-up from associations 1-6, five third-placed teams from associations 1-5, four fourth-place teams from associations 1-4, one champion from association 15, two teams from the associations with the highest coefficients from the previous season, and the Europa League champions.
When and where is the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League Final?
The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League Final will be May 30, 2026 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
What are the draw dates for the UEFA Champions League?
First qualifying round: June 17
Second qualifying round: June 18
Third qualifying round: July 21
Playoff round: August 4
League phase: August 28
Knockout playoff round: January 30
Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final: February 27
What are the match dates for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League?
Qualifying rounds
First qualifying round (two legs): July 8-9 and July 15-16
Second qualifying round (two legs): July 22-23 and July 29-30
Third qualifying round (two legs): August 5-6 and August 12
Playoff round: August 19-20 and August 26-27
League phase
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
Matchday 8: January 28
Knockout phase
Knockout playoff round: February 17-18, February 24-25
Round of 16: March 10-11, March 17-18
Quarterfinals: April 7-8, April 14-15
Semifinals: April 28-29, May 5-6
Final: May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest
Who have qualified for the UEFA Champions League league phase?
Premier League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur*
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, AS Monaco
Serie A: Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund
Eredivisie: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax
Primeira Liga: Sporting Lisbon
Belgian Pro League: Union Saint-Gilloise
Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray
Czech First League: Slavia Prague
Super League Greece: Olympiacos
UEFA Champions League league phase qualifying schedule
Playoff round
First legs to be played August 19-20. Second legs August 26-27.
Champions Path
First legs
Tuesday, August 19
Ferencvaros 1-3 Qarabag FK
Red Star Belgrade 1-2 Pafos FC
Wednesday, August 20
Celtic 0-0 Kairat Almaty
Bodo/Glimt 5-0 Sturm Graz
FC Basel 1-1 FC Copenhagen
Second legs
Tuesday, August 26
Kairat Almaty 0-0 (0-0 agg., 3-2 PKs) Celtic
Pafos FC 1-1 (3-2 agg.) Red Star Belgrade - 3pm ET
Sturm Graz 2-1 (2-6 agg.) Bodo/Glimt
Wednesday, August 27
Qarabag FK 2-3 (5-4) Ferencvaros
FC Copenhagen 2-0 (3-1) FC Basel
League Path
First legs
Tuesday, August 19
Rangers 1-3 Club Brugge
Wednesday, August 20
Fenerbahce 0-0 Benfica
Second legs
Wednesday, August 27
Benfica 1-1 (1-0) Fenerbahce
Club Brugge 6-0 (9-1) Rangers
Second qualifying round results
Champions Path
First legs
July 22
RFS 1-4 Malmo
KuPS 2-0 Kairat Almaty
FC Noah 1-2 Ferencvaros
Lincoln Red Imps 0-1 Red Star Belgrade
Copenhagen 2-0 Drita
Hamrun Spartans 0-3 Dynamo Kyiv
Pafos FC 1-4 Malmo
KF Shkendija 1-0 FCSB
Slovan Bratislava 4-0 Zrinjski Mostar
Lech Poznan 7-1 Breidablik
Rijeka 0-0 Ludogorets Razgrad
July 23
Shelbourne 0-3 Qarabag
Second legs
July 29
Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 (6-0 agg) Hamrun Spartans
Red Star Belgrade 5-1 (6-1 agg) Lincoln Red Imps
Drita 0-1 (0-3 agg) Copenhagen
Kairat Almaty 3-0 (3-2 agg) KuPS
Zrinjski Mostar 2-2 (2-6 agg) Slovan Bratislava
July 30
Malmo 1-0 (5-1 agg) RFS
Ferencvaros 4-3 (6-4 agg) Noah
FCSB 1-2 (1-3 agg) Shkendija
Breidablik 0-1 (1-8 agg) Lech Poznan
Ludogorets Razgrad 3-1 (3-1 agg) Rijeka
Qarabag 1-0 (4-0 agg) Shelbourne
Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 (1-2 agg) Pafos
League Path
First legs — July 22
Viktoria Plzen 0-1 Servette
Rangers 2-0 Panathinaikos
July 23
Brann 1-4 Red Bull Salzburg
Second legs — July 30
Red Bull Salzburg 1-1 (5-2 agg) Brann
Servette 1-3 (2-3 agg) Viktoria Plzen
Panathinaikos 1-1 (1-3 agg) Rangers
Third qualifying round results
Draw: July 21
Champions Path
First legs — August 5-6
Malmo 0-0 Copenhagen
Shkendija 0-1 Qarabag
Dynamo Kyiv 0-1 Pafos
Kairat Almaty 1-0 Slovan Bratislava
Ludogorets Razgrad 0-0 Ferencvaros
Lech Poznan 1-3 Red Star Belgrade
Second legs — August 12-13
Qarabag 5-1 Shkendija (6-1 on agg)
Pafos 2-0 Dynamo Kyiv (3-0 on agg)
Copenhagen 5-0 Malmo (5-0 on agg)
Slovan Bratislava 1-0 (3-4 on pens) Kairat Almaty (1-1 on agg)
Ferencvaros 3-0 Ludogorets Razgrad (3-0 on agg)
Red Star Belgrade 1-1 Lech Poznan (4-2 on agg)
League Path
First legs — August 5-6
Rangers 3-0 Viktoria Plzen
Red Bull Salzburg 0-1 Club Brugge
Nice 0-2 Benfica
Feyenoord 2-1 Fenerbahce
Second legs — August 12-13
Fenerbahce 5-2 Feyenoord (6-4 on agg)
Viktoria Plzen 2-1 Rangers (2-4 on agg)
Club Brugge 3-2 Red Bull Salzburg (4-3 on agg)
Benfica 2-0 Nice (4-0 on agg)
