The Champions League 2026/27 is the third season the tournament has been played without the familiar groups of four teams. Instead there is one big table of 36 clubs, eight rounds against different opponents and play-off ties for the middle of the table. The new Champions League format 2026/27 has already produced storylines that would not have existed under the old system, but there is plenty of confusion too. We break down how it all works, based on the regulations and UEFA’s explanations, and answer the common questions about the Champions League at the end.
New Champions League format 26/27: one table of 36 clubs
Until 2024, 32 teams played in the group stage. Now there are 36, and they all stand in a single league table. Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents: four at home and four away. A win is worth three points, a draw one.
How many teams are in the 2026/27 Champions League and who is taking part
The league phase features 36 clubs from 16 countries. England and Spain have the largest representation, with five teams each:
- England, five clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United.
- Spain, five clubs: Atlético, Barcelona, Betis, Real Madrid, Villarreal.
- Germany, four clubs: Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig, Stuttgart.
- Italy, four clubs: Como, Inter, Napoli, Roma.
- France, three clubs: PSG, Lens, Lille.
- Two clubs each: from Turkey — Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, from the Netherlands — Feyenoord and PSV, from Portugal — Porto and Sporting, from Norway — Bodø/Glimt and Viking.
- One each: Belgium’s Club Brugge, Greece’s AEK, Austria’s LASK, Ukraine’s Shakhtar, Czechia’s Slavia, Slovakia’s Slovan, Azerbaijan’s Sabah.
Aston Villa entered the tournament as Europa League winners, beating Freiburg in the final. There are four debutants in the league phase: Como, LASK, Sabah and Viking. Russian clubs are not playing: in June 2026 the UEFA Executive Committee extended the suspension in force since 2022 for another season.
Champions League 2026/27 draw: pots and opponents
Before the draw, the clubs are divided into four pots of nine teams. Each participant is given two opponents from each pot: one at home, one away. So a favourite from pot one is guaranteed two matches against other top clubs, while a mid-ranking side from pot four gets the chance to host a giant. The Champions League 2026/27 draw took place on 27 August.
- Pot 1: PSG, Bayern, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Atlético.
- Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Aston Villa, Porto, Manchester United, Club Brugge, Betis, PSV.
- Pot 3: Feyenoord, Lille, Bodø/Glimt, Napoli, Leipzig, Villarreal, Fenerbahçe, Shakhtar, Galatasaray.
- Pot 4: Slavia, Slovan, Stuttgart, AEK, LASK, Como, Lens, Viking, Sabah.
Champions League 2026/27 table: who goes through to the knockout stage
The final position in the league table after eight rounds decides everything:
- 1st–8th places — straight into the round of 16.
- 9th–24th places — into the two-legged knockout play-off round.
- 25th–36th places — eliminated. There is no consolation drop into the Europa League, as there used to be for third-placed group teams.
The last, eighth round is played simultaneously: in the Champions League 2026/27 that means 18 matches on Wednesday, 27 January 2027. As on the final matchday of a domestic league, it rules out a situation where someone takes the field already knowing the result they need.
How tightly the teams are packed is clear from the table after two rounds (as of 16 October 2026). Nine clubs have six points, and the order between them is decided by additional criteria:
- PSG — 6 points, goals 10:3;
- Barcelona — 6, 9:2;
- Aston Villa — 6, 9:2;
- Stuttgart — 6, 6:1;
- Liverpool — 6, 8:4;
- Sporting — 6, 5:1;
- Arsenal — 6, 4:0;
- Real Madrid — 6, 6:4;
- Betis — 6, 6:4.
Barcelona and Aston Villa were separated by away goals with equal points, goal difference and goals scored: the Catalans have four, all scored away to Galatasaray in Istanbul, while the English side have three. By the same rule Real Madrid sit above Betis. Bayern, after a 3:3 draw with Viking in Norway, have four points. This is a snapshot on the date of the article: the table changes every round.
If points are level
With a single table, equal points happen all the time, so the order of the additional criteria matters. After the eighth round, UEFA applies the criteria in this sequence:
- goal difference;
- goals scored;
- away goals scored;
- number of wins;
- number of away wins;
- total points won by the opponents in the league phase;
- the combined goal difference of those opponents;
- the combined number of goals scored by those opponents;
- fewer disciplinary points (yellow card — 1, red card or dismissal for two yellows — 3);
- club coefficient.
Points six to eight are an attempt to take into account that everyone’s schedule is different: some teams were drawn against stronger opponents, and all else being equal this counts. Before the eighth round, only the first five criteria apply in the interim table, and beyond that teams are simply listed alphabetically.
Champions League play-off round 26/27: ninth against twenty-fourth
The play-off round is the format’s main innovation. Teams finishing 9th to 16th are seeded and play the second leg at home, while teams finishing 17th to 24th are unseeded. The pairings are not drawn at random but determined by table positions: the 9th and 10th teams meet the 23rd or 24th, the 11th and 12th meet the 21st or 22nd, and so on down to the pairing of 15th/16th against 17th/18th. The draw only decides which of the neighbouring positions gets which opponent.
There is no country protection at this stage. A striking example is the 2024/25 season: PSG finished only 15th in the league table and were drawn in the play-offs against fellow French side Brest. The Parisians won 10:0 on aggregate, then beat Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, and thrashed Inter 5:0 in the final in Munich. PSG’s story shows well that a mid-table finish under the new scheme is not a death sentence, but everyone outside the top eight has to play two extra matches in February.
Champions League knockout stage: the bracket from the round of 16 to the final
From this point the tournament becomes a pre-drawn bracket in which a club’s position is partly determined by its league-phase finish. The play-off winners meet the top eight in the round of 16. Under the draw regulations, the teams finishing 1st to 4th play the second leg of their quarter-final at home, and the top two also play the second leg of their semi-final at home. The first and second teams are kept in opposite halves of the bracket at the draw, so they can only meet in the final. If a seeded club is eliminated, its place in the bracket, along with its home advantage, passes to the team that knocked it out. Ties are decided over two legs, and if level, by extra time and a penalty shoot-out. The final, as before, is a single match at a neutral stadium chosen in advance.
Champions League 2026/27 schedule: all the dates
- league phase: eight rounds from 8 September 2026 to 27 January 2027 (second round — 13–14 October, third — 20–21 October, fourth — 3–4 November);
- play-off ties: 16/17 and 23/24 February 2027;
- round of 16: 9/10 and 16/17 March;
- quarter-finals: 6/7 and 13/14 April;
- semi-finals: 27/28 April and 4/5 May;
- final: Saturday, 5 June 2027, the Metropolitano in Madrid.
UEFA stipulates that the dates may still shift.
Champions League final 2027 venue and date: where and when
The Champions League final 2027 will be held on 5 June at the Metropolitano, the home stadium of Atlético Madrid, with a capacity of around 70,700 spectators. Kick-off is at 18:00 local time (19:00 Moscow time). The UEFA Executive Committee chose the venue on 11 September 2025 at a meeting in Tirana: a decision expected in May was postponed.
For the Metropolitano it will be the second final: in 2019 Liverpool beat Tottenham 2:0 there. For Madrid itself it will be the sixth: before that, the Santiago Bernabéu hosted European Cup and Champions League finals four times (1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010). In the summer of 2026 Spain won the World Cup, and a year later the biggest club match of the season will again be played in the Spanish capital.
Who won the Champions League 2026 and who is defending the title
The reigning champions are PSG again. In the final on 30 May 2026 in Budapest, Luis Enrique’s team drew 1:1 with Arsenal (Kai Havertz scored in the 6th minute, Ousmane Dembélé equalised from the penalty spot in the 65th) and won the penalty shoot-out 4:3. Paris became the first club to retain the title since Real Madrid in 2018, while Arsenal, who won the Premier League that season, were left without a European trophy. PSG now have two cups, both won back to back, and in the Champions League 2026/27 the Parisians will try to do what only the Madrid side have managed in the Champions League era: win the tournament three times in a row.
Real Madrid have the most trophies — 15. The tournament was founded in 1955 as the European Cup and has been called the Champions League since 1992.
Frequently asked questions about the Champions League 2026/27
How many teams play in the 2026/27 Champions League?
The league phase has 36 clubs from 16 countries. Each plays eight matches, and they all stand in one single table.
How many teams go through to the Champions League knockout stage?
24. The top eight go straight into the round of 16, teams from 9th to 24th play the knockout play-off round, and clubs from 25th to 36th are eliminated.
When are the Champions League 2026/27 play-off ties?
16/17 and 23/24 February 2027. The seeded teams, finishing 9th to 16th, play the second leg at home.
Where and when is the Champions League final 2027?
On 5 June 2027 in Madrid, at the Metropolitano stadium. Kick-off is at 18:00 local time.
Who won the Champions League 2026?
PSG. In the final in Budapest the Parisians drew 1:1 with Arsenal and won the penalty shoot-out 4:3, repeating their 2025 success.
How many times have PSG won the Champions League?
Twice, in 2025 and 2026. The record belongs to Real Madrid with 15 titles.
