Table of Contents
What’s different this season
UEFA has carried on with the revised format introduced in 2024/25. Rather than the old group-stage with multiple “groups of four” teams, the competition now has:
- 36 teams in the “league phase” (instead of 32 in groups)
- Each team plays 8 matches in the league phase, against 8 different opponents (i.e. no repeat matchups as in old groups), with an even split of 4 home, 4 away.
The idea is to create more variety in opponents, more matches of interest, and more reward for finishing high in that league table.
How teams get into the league phase
Before the league phase begins, there are qualifying rounds and play-offs. Here’s how teams secure their spot in the 36:
- Automatic qualification: Most teams qualify via their domestic leagues, based on finishing position in their national championships, and via winning certain European competitions (Champions League, Europa League) in the previous season.
- Qualifying rounds / play-offs: The remaining spots are filled via qualifiers. For 2025/26, seven clubs gained entry through qualifying play-offs.
- European Performance Spots: There are also “European Performance” allocations (for associations whose clubs have strong recent performance in Europe) and spot rebalancing in cases when winners of European competitions already qualified via league positions.
So in summary: 36 teams = clubs who qualified automatically + qualifiers + special spots based on performance / rebalancing.
The League Phase: What happens
Once the 36 teams are in:
- They are placed in a single league table (not split into groups).
- Each plays 8 games (against 8 different opponents).
- Standard points system: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss.
What finishing positions mean: how to reach the knockouts
The league phase standings determine who goes where. There are three “bands” of outcomes:
| Position in league table | What you get / qualification path |
| 1st–8th | Direct qualification to the Round of 16 (i.e. you skip the extra play-off round). |
| 9th–24th | Enter the knockout-phase play-offs: two-legged ties, with winners progressing to join the top 8 in the Round of 16. |
| 25th–36th | Eliminated from the Champions League; no chance to drop into the Europa League from that position. |
Knockout rounds: schedule and structure
Once league phase & play‐offs are sorted:
- Knockout Play-offs
- Teams ranked 9–24 in the league phase compete in this round.
- It’s two legs (home & away).
- Round of 16
- The 8 teams that finished 1st–8th in league phase are seeded to host the second leg.
- They will each face one of the 8 winners from the playoff round.
- Quarter-finals & Semi-finals
- Traditional two-legged ties.
- Final
- Single match at neutral venue. For the 2025/26 season, scheduled at Puskás Aréna, Budapest on 30 May 2026.
Key dates to know
Here are some of the major dates for 2025/26:
- Qualifying / Play-offs (pre-league phase): July-August 2025.
- League phase matchdays (8 in total): from mid-September 2025 through to end of January 2026.
- Knockout-phase play-offs: February 17-18 & February 24-25, 2026.
- Round of 16: mid-March 2026.
- Quarter-finals: early and mid-April 2026.
- Semi-finals: late April / early May 2026.
- Final: 30 May 2026.
What has changed / why it matters
- Increased number of matches and opponents means teams must plan more carefully: you cannot take any league phase match lightly.
- Finishing in top 8 is a big advantage: it avoids the extra knockout play-offs. That reduces fixture congestion and risk.
- The play-off round gives teams who didn’t break into the top-8 still a second chance.
- Being outside the top 24 means exit from Champions League entirely, so the lower end of that table is very meaningful.