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UEFA Champions League new season kicks off with third qualifying round draw
21st July, 2026 04:43 PM
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup dust settles, the road to the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League final officially began on Monday, July 20, 2026, with the Third Qualifying Round (QR3) draw conducted at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
This round features 20 clubs split across two distinct routes: 12 teams in the Champions Path and eight teams in the League Path. Because the Second Qualifying Round is currently underway, several QR3 ties are determined by match pairings, with the eventual aggregate winners taking their places in the next stage.
The QR3 stage introduces higher-ranked domestic champions alongside high-profile clubs from top European leagues in the League Path, such as teams finishing second, third, or fourth in leagues like Ligue 1, the Eredivisie, and the Süper Lig.
The first-leg fixtures are scheduled for August 4–5, 2026, followed by the second legs on August 11, 2026.
Featured QR3 matchups
Yaya Toure’s new club, SK Slovan Bratislava, is among the teams hoping to make a strong showing in the Champions Path.
They will face FC Iberia 1999 in their QR2 pairing, with the winner of that clash set to advance to face either Mjällby AIF or Lincoln Red Imps in the Third Qualifying Round.
Meanwhile, Belgian outfit Royale Union Saint-Gilloise will begin their European campaign in the League Path on August 4 or 5, taking on Norwegian side FK Bodo/Glimt over two legs.
What next after QR3?
The 10 aggregate winners from the Third Qualifying Round will advance to the crucial Play-Off Round.
The play-off draw is scheduled for August 3, 2026, with matches taking place on August 18–19 and August 25–26, 2026. This final qualifying tier will decide the last remaining spots for the 36-team Champions League main phase.
There is also a safety net for eliminated teams: clubs dropping out of the Champions Path transfer into the UEFA Europa League play-off round, while League Path dropouts transition directly into the Europa League general phase.
Path to the Madrid final.
The 2026/27 edition will conclude with the final at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on Saturday, June 5, 2027
All participating clubs are aiming to reach next year’s final in Madrid, Spain. Under UEFA’s 36-team League Phase system, 29 clubs qualify directly based on their domestic league finishes and UEFA coefficients, while the remaining seven spots are determined through the qualifying rounds.
Under the updated tournament format, traditional group stages have been replaced by a single 36-team league table. Each club in the main league phase plays eight distinct opponents (four at home and four away).
Following the league phase, the top eight teams automatically qualify for the Round of 16. Teams finishing 9th through 24th will enter a two-legged playoff round to compete for the remaining eight knockout spots, while teams finishing 25th through 36th will be eliminated from European competition entirely.
French side, PSG is the competition’s holder after edging Arsenal in post-match penalties in Budapest on May, 20, 2026.
