36 teams finalized for 2025-2026 Champions League

Qarabag, Brugge, Copenhagen, and Benfica secured the final four spots in the 2025-2026 Champions League group stage after dramatic playoff matches on Tuesday 27/8.

These four teams complete the 36-team lineup for the Champions League group stage. The day before, Pafos (Cyprus), Kairat (Kazakhstan), and Bodo/Glimt (Norway) also advanced through the playoffs, marking their first-ever Champions League appearances.

Midfielder Kerem Akturkoglu celebrates his winning goal for Benfica against Fenerbahce in the Champions League playoff second leg at Da Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday 27/8/2025. Photo: AFP

Benfica's victory over Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce at Da Luz stadium, in front of over 64,000 spectators, was a highlight. The Portuguese side took an early lead thanks to midfielder Kerem Akturkoglu, a player Fenerbahce had been targeting. Fenerbahce's hopes of equalizing were dashed when striker Anderson Talisca, a former Benfica player, received two yellow cards in four minutes and was sent off.

In Hungary, Qarabag (Azerbaijan) lost 2-3 to Ferencvaros but still advanced due to their 3-1 first-leg win. Club Brugge defeated Rangers 6-0, after a 3-1 victory in Glasgow, Scotland. The 9-1 aggregate score comfortably secured the Belgian team's place in the group stage.

In the remaining match, Copenhagen (Denmark) eliminated Basel with a 2-0 second-leg win, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

A day earlier, Pafos made history by securing Cyprus's first-ever Champions League spot after defeating former champions Red Star Belgrade. Kairat caused an upset by knocking Celtic down to the Europa League after a penalty shootout. Bodo/Glimt, despite losing 1-2 to Sturm Graz, had already secured their place with a 5-0 first-leg victory.

The other 29 teams had already qualified, including five from Spain (Real, Barca, Atletico, Bilbao, Villarreal), six from England (Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle), four from Germany (Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Frankfurt), four from Italy (Inter, Juventus, Napoli, Atalanta), and other prominent clubs such as PSG, Monaco, Marseille, Sporting, Ajax, PSV, and Galatasaray.

PSG are the defending champions after their 5-0 demolition of Inter in last season's final. Young talent Desire Doue scored a brace, becoming a new European star. Real Madrid were eliminated by Arsenal in the quarterfinals, while Barca exited in the semifinals.

Experts consider the English Premier League to be the strongest league, contributing six representatives. Liverpool recently won their 20th Premier League title, while Arsenal and Man City are still considered strong contenders. Chelsea and Tottenham also return as the reigning FIFA Club World Cup and Europa League champions, respectively.

PSG players celebrate their Champions League title at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on 1/6/2025. Photo: Reuters

PSG players celebrate their Champions League title at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on 1/6/2025. Photo: Reuters

This season's Champions League retains the format introduced in the 2024-2025 season. The 36 teams are divided into four seeding pots, each containing nine teams. After the draw, each club will play eight group stage matches, facing two opponents from each pot, once at home and once away.

After eight rounds, the top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a playoff round for the remaining eight spots. From the knockout stage onwards, the home-and-away format will be maintained until the semifinals. The final will take place on 30/5/2026 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

The four seeding pots have also been determined. Pot 1 includes giants such as PSG, Real, Bayern, Inter, Dortmund, Barca, Liverpool, Man City, and Chelsea. Pot 2 features Arsenal, Leverkusen, Atletico, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Frankfurt, Benfica, and Brugge.

Pot 3 includes Tottenham, PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Marseille, and Bodo/Glimt. Pot 4 consists of Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Bilbao, Newcastle, and the four newcomers Pafos, Kairat, Copenhagen, and Qarabag.

UEFA plans to distribute approximately 2.6 billion USD to the participating clubs. The winning team could receive over 116 million USD if they win all their matches. Reaching the final alone guarantees at least 21.5 million USD, and the champions will receive an additional 7.6 million USD.

The prize money is calculated based on various factors: participation fee, performance bonuses for each match, group stage ranking bonus, knockout stage bonus, and market pool share. This makes the Champions League the most lucrative club competition in the world.

The group stage draw will take place at 11 PM on Thursday 28/8, Hanoi time, at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.