Champions League 2026-27: Schedule, draw dates, qualified teams, final stadium, points needed

The Champions League trophy has been proudly displayed in the Parc des Princes cases for the past two years, and holders Paris Saint-Germain now seek a tremendous three-peat in the 2026-27 competition.

Luis Enrique's men - who edged out a heartbroken Arsenal on penalties in last year's final - could become just the third team to win Europe's premier prize three times on the spin, after Ajax, Bayern Munich and record holders Real Madrid.

However, 2025-26 runners-up Arsenal will have sweet revenge on the mind, while Los Blancos, Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern will also have complete confidence in their continental credentials - at least until the proper tournament gets underway.

The Qualifying rounds are already in full swing as the big boys continue their pre-season preparations, but the countdown is already on to the highly-anticipated League Phase draw.

Here, Sports Mole takes you through everything you need to know about the 2026-27 Champions League.

Champions League 2026-27 schedule and draw dates

The 2026-27 Champions League began just a couple of weeks after the final - at least off the field - as the draw for the first qualification round was held on June 16.

Preliminary fixtures kicked off on July 7, and Qualifying will commence with the second legs of the playoff round matches, to be played across August 25 and 26.

The draw for the league phase then takes place one day later, before the first round of the tournament proper is held from September 8 to January 27.

Teams competing in the knockout phase playoffs will learn their opponents on January 29, and the draw for the remaining rounds will be held on February 26, once those opening battles have concluded.

The 2026-27 Champions League final will be played on June 5, the latest date for the showpiece match to be held in the modern era (since 1992).

Which teams have qualified for the 2026-27 Champions League?

At the time of writing, 29 teams have already had their spots confirmed in the League Phase of the competition, with England and Spain the joint-best represented nations boasting five clubs each.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Europa League winners Aston Villa will fly the Premier League flag high, while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis are present from La Liga.

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart have qualified from the Bundesliga, while PSG's Ligue 1 rivals Lens and Lille are joining the reigning champions in the league phase.

Serie A upstarts Como will play in the Champions League for the first time this season, and are currently the only team in the League Phase to be making their tournament debut.

Champions League 2026-27 format

The 2026-27 Champions League will be the third to adopt the League Phase format that was introduced for the 2024-25 campaign, and has been met with largely positive reviews despite the initial scepticism.

The 29 teams who earned direct League Phase entry will be joined by seven successful qualifiers - five from the Champions Path and two from the League Path - and the top eight League Phase teams will qualify automatically for the last 16.

Sides ranking from ninth to 24th in the League Phase will progress to the knockout round playoffs, while the teams who finish between 25th and 36th will be knocked out, with no Europa League safety net unlike the previous format.

For the League Phase, each team will face two opponents from each pot - playing four home games and four away games - but clubs cannot meet another side from the same association in this round, meaning no Manchester derby or El Clasico.

In addition, teams can only face a maximum of two clubs from different member associations, meaning that Arsenal could not face all of PSG, Lens and Lille, for example.

Below is a breakdown of the League Phase tiebreakers that will be used if two teams are locked together on points.

How many points are needed to make the Champions League knockout rounds?

In each of the past two seasons, 16 has appropriately been the magic number in terms of qualifying for the last 16 directly; any team managing that total in the League Phase has finished in the top eight of the 36-team standings.

Therefore, clubs realistically need to win five games and draw at least one other to skip the knockout round playoffs, as no team has managed to finish in the top eight with 15 points or fewer yet.

Further down the rankings, Bayer Leverkusen nabbed 16th place and the last seeded spot for the knockout round playoffs with 12 points in the 2025-26 competition, while Benfica and Bodo/Glimt scraped into the same stage with nine points in 23rd and 24th respectively.

Two seasons ago, Dinamo Zagreb and Stuttgart wound up with 11 and 10 points respectively at the end of the League Phase, but neither total proved enough to save them from an early elimination.

Where is the Champions League 2026-27 final being played?

© Iconsport / Zuma

The 2026-27 Champions League final is being held at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium, a 70,692-seater venue that has been the home of Diego Simeone's side since 2017.

The Metropolitano Stadium previously hosted the 2019 Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, and is under consideration to stage games at the 2030 World Cup.