Champions League 2026/27

[OCD]

2 times in 3 seasons - what a time to be alive. 

And the 1 was due to goal difference and getting screwed on the last day. Otherwise it would have been 3 straight years.

[Hookeysmith]

2 times in 3 seasons - what a time to be alive. 

And the 1 was due to goal difference and getting screwed on the last day. Otherwise it would have been 3 straight years.

And are we being taken serious yet?

[Villan For Life]

This is, I think, the first time in our history that we have qualified for Europe four seasons in a row.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Hopefully Juve miss out.

[Brazilian Villain]

Right, can we draw Real, Milan and Benfica this time please?

Magnificent. Was beginning to worry that we'd ran out of steam, but we just wanted to make it exciting.

I wonder if we'll draw Celtic away this time.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm sure we will find a way to draw Bologna.

[cdbearsfan]

More detailed look at potential opponents, etc, will try to update as more teams get confirmed.

First qualifying round

Draw 16 June, first leg 7-8 July, second leg 14-15 July

Confirmed:

Celje (Svn)
Shamrock Rovers (Ire)
KuPS (Fin)
Drita (Kos)
Lincoln Red Imps (Gib)
Borac Banja Luka (Bos)
Vikingur Reykjavik (Ice)
Kairat (Kaz)
Riga (Lat)
KÍ Klaksvik (FI)
Floral (Est)
Larne (NI)
Petrocub Hînceşti (Mol)
The New Saints (Wal)
Inter Club d'Escaldes (And)
Levski Sofia (Bul)
Sabah (Aze)
Kauno Žalgiris (Lit)
Iberia 1999 (Geo)
Tre Fiori (SM)
Vardar (NM)
ML Vitebsk (Blr)

To be confirmed:

Champions of...
Hungary
Romania
Armenia
Malta
Albania
Montenegro
Luxembourg

Second qualifying round

Draw 17 June, first leg 21-22 July, second leg 28-29 July

Champions Path

Confirmed:

Red Star Belgrade (Ser)
Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
Slovan Bratislava (Svk)
Omonia (Cyp)
AGF (Den)
Thun (Sui)
Mjällby (Swe)

To be confirmed:

Champions of...
Poland
Israel

League Path

Confirmed:

Bodø/Glimt (Nor)
Fenerbahçe (Tur)

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Greece
Austria
Scotland
Poland

Third qualifying round

Draw 20 July, first leg 4-5 August, second leg 11 August

Champions Path

No new entrants

League Path

Confirmed:
Sparta Prague (Cze)

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Portugal
Greece
Belgium

Third place of:
Netherlands

Fourth place of:
France

Play-off round

Draw 3 August, first leg 18-19 August, second leg 25-26 August

Champions Path

Confirmed:

AEK Athens (Gre)
Viking (Nor)

To be confirmed:

Champions of:
Austria
Scotland

League Path

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Portugal*

League Phase

Draw 27 August 2026, matches 8-10 September, 13-14 October, 20-21 October, 3-4 November, 24-25 November, 8-9 December, 19-20 January, 27 January

Confirmed:

Arsenal (Eng)
Manchester City (Eng)
Manchester United (Eng)
Aston Villa (Eng)*
Inter Milan (Ita)
Barcelona (Esp)
Real Madrid (Esp)
Villarreal (Esp)
Atlético Madrid (Esp)
Real Betis (Esp)
Bayern Munich (Ger)
Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
RB Leipzig (Ger)
Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)
Lens (Fra)
PSV Eindhoven (Ned)
Feyenoord (Ned)
Porto (Por)
Slavia Prague (Cze)
Galatasaray (Tur)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr)

To be confirmed:

Europa League winners*

Champions of:
Belgium

Additional teams from:
England*
Italy x 3
Germany
France

*Note: if Villa win the Europa League and finish in the top four, Europa League place will not be used. Vacant spot in League phase passes to Portuguese runners-up, two highest ranked clubs in second qualifying round (TBC) will be moved to third qualifying round. If Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, they will qualify as Europa League winners and 6th placed English team will also qualify for League phase.

Remaining rounds

Knock-out phase play-offs (for teams finishing 9th-24th in League phase), draw 29 January, first leg 16-17 February, second leg 23-24 February

Draw for all remaining rounds 26 February.

Round of 16 (teams finishing top 8 enter here), first leg 9-10 March, second leg 16-17 March

Quarter-Finals, first leg 6-7 April, second leg 13-14 April

Semi-Finals, first leg 27-28 April, second leg 4-5 May

Final, 5 June at Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

Winners qualify for 2027/28 UEFA Champions League, 2027 UEFA Super Cup, 2027 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

[cdbearsfan]

Update.

First qualifying round

Draw 16 June, first leg 7-8 July, second leg 14-15 July

Confirmed:

Celje (Svn)
Shamrock Rovers (Ire)
KuPS (Fin)
Drita (Kos)
Lincoln Red Imps (Gib)
Borac Banja Luka (Bos)
Vikingur Reykjavik (Ice)
Kairat (Kaz)
Riga (Lat)
KÍ Klaksvik (FI)
Floral (Est)
Larne (NI)
Petrocub Hînceşti (Mol)
The New Saints (Wal)
Inter Club d'Escaldes (And)
Levski Sofia (Bul)
Sabah (Aze)
Kauno Žalgiris (Lit)
Iberia 1999 (Geo)
Tre Fiori (SM)
Vardar (NM)
ML Vitebsk (Blr)

To be confirmed:

Champions of...
Hungary
Romania
Armenia
Malta
Albania
Montenegro
Luxembourg

Second qualifying round

Draw 17 June, first leg 21-22 July, second leg 28-29 July

Champions Path

Confirmed:

Red Star Belgrade (Ser)
Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
Slovan Bratislava (Svk)
Omonia (Cyp)
AGF (Den)
Thun (Sui)
Mjällby (Swe)

To be confirmed:

Champions of...
Poland
Israel

League Path

Confirmed:

Bodø/Glimt (Nor)
Fenerbahçe (Tur)
Heart of Midlothian (Sco)

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Greece
Austria
Poland

Third qualifying round

Draw 20 July, first leg 4-5 August, second leg 11 August

Champions Path

No new entrants

League Path

Confirmed:
Sparta Prague (Cze)

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Portugal
Greece
Belgium

Third place of:
Netherlands

Fourth place of:
France

Play-off round

Draw 3 August, first leg 18-19 August, second leg 25-26 August

Champions Path

Confirmed:

AEK Athens (Gre)
Viking (Nor)
Celtic (Sco)

To be confirmed:

Champions of:
Austria

League Path

To be confirmed:

Runners-up of:
Portugal*

League Phase

Draw 27 August 2026, matches 8-10 September, 13-14 October, 20-21 October, 3-4 November, 24-25 November, 8-9 December, 19-20 January, 27 January

Confirmed:

Arsenal (Eng)
Manchester City (Eng)
Manchester United (Eng)
Aston Villa (Eng)*
Inter Milan (Ita)
Barcelona (Esp)
Real Madrid (Esp)
Villarreal (Esp)
Atlético Madrid (Esp)
Real Betis (Esp)
Bayern Munich (Ger)
Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
RB Leipzig (Ger)
Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)
Lens (Fra)
PSV Eindhoven (Ned)
Feyenoord (Ned)
Porto (Por)
Slavia Prague (Cze)
Galatasaray (Tur)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr)

To be confirmed:

Europa League winners*

Champions of:
Belgium

Additional teams from:
England*
Italy x 3
Germany
France

*Note: if Villa win the Europa League and finish in the top four, Europa League place will not be used. Vacant spot in League phase passes to Portuguese runners-up, two highest ranked clubs in second qualifying round (TBC) will be moved to third qualifying round. If Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, they will qualify as Europa League winners and 6th placed English team will also qualify for League phase.

Remaining rounds

Knock-out phase play-offs (for teams finishing 9th-24th in League phase), draw 29 January, first leg 16-17 February, second leg 23-24 February

Draw for all remaining rounds 26 February.

Round of 16 (teams finishing top 8 enter here), first leg 9-10 March, second leg 16-17 March

Quarter-Finals, first leg 6-7 April, second leg 13-14 April

Semi-Finals, first leg 27-28 April, second leg 4-5 May

Final, 5 June at Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

Winners qualify for 2027/28 UEFA Champions League, 2027 UEFA Super Cup, 2027 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.

[olaftab]

Excellent work cdbearsfan. You will be rewarded in afterlife.

[Brazilian Villain]

Excellent work cdbearsfan. You will be rewarded in afterlife.

It's the least he deserves after all the football 'heartbreak' he's suffered in this one.

[Tuscans]

Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League again is a new high under Emery… so far
Jacob Tanswell

May 16, 2026

The Champions League anthem echoed gloriously around Villa Park.

The final word — “champion” — was stretched out and sung in unison by every home supporter.

Aston Villa, a triumph of consistency and endurance, had secured qualification for Europe’s premier competition for the second time in three seasons, having painfully missed out on goal difference last year.

Players bathed in the accomplishment during a lap of appreciation. Unai Emery, who, so usually focused on the next game and invariably heads straight for the tunnel, allowed himself to enjoy. He marched towards the Holte End, taking in all the adoration from the fans who worship him.

“We are going to play for you, for a trophy,” Emery said.

Peering into the crowd, he finished with a flourish, bellowing into the microphone, “UP THE VILLA!”

Once they returned to the dressing room, the team posed for a photo, with coaches, backroom staff and co-owner, Nassef Sawiris.

Friday’s 4-2 victory also meant he had finally beaten Liverpool as Villa manager. In doing so, he had gone through all of the Premier League’s ‘big six’, even if his team now have a strong argument to be firmly ensconced among them. It just so happened to be his 600th win as a manager; it is astounding that Emery was not considered one of the six nominees for Premier League manager of the year.

This was the perfect send-off for Istanbul, where Villa face Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Home supporters were singing about Istanbul in the final throes, knowing that the opportunity of silverware — a first major trophy in three decades and a first European final in 44 years — will never be greater in this era of brilliance.

Villa staff enjoyed a five per cent pay rise after qualifying for the Champions League in the 2023-24 campaign and a further three per cent for a Europa League finish last season. This Villa side has elevated a club beyond its expected growth, founded on mental toughness and a combination of excellence within the coaching and core group of players.

“To keep this level… ‘wow’,” said Emery in his press conference, appearing more relieved and delighted than ever before.


“We’ve been through thick and thin together,” said Watkins. “There is an English core which has been here since day one. The team is pretty much the same since Dean Smith was here. We’ve been through highs and lows together.”

Together, the latest achievement — until Wednesday at least — is definitely the best of Emery’s Villa. Very few thought a top-five finish was feasible after a turbulent summer, no goal in the first four games, and no win in the first five.

“Injuries, no a f…penalty for us in one year, biggest investment in the history for the bigger budget clubs, playing Thursday and Sunday 2 pm… well CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!” said director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, on X. “No excuses culture, a great group of committed players and the best manager (yes EPL the best manager). UTV. Next stop Istanbul!!!! See you there lads!!!! One more push, more desire and ambition than ever!!!”

Villa sources stated at the start of the season that Morgan Rogers and Watkins would have a heavy burden on them to provide the goals.

With both hitting double figures, they have produced under pressure. Emery had been demanding more goals from other areas and better incision inside the box, yet it was startling that Villa managed to record 11 straight wins across all competitions over the winter, with Watkins, their long-running talisman, scoring just two league goals by December. He has since come back with vengeance, hitting 11 in his previous 14 appearances.


In many ways, Villa’s response to Virgil van Dijk’s second-half equaliser is what, fundamentally, explains their success. Their resilience and ability to recover from setbacks have defined Villa’s campaign.

Speak to those around the team and they will admit there is, at this stage of the campaign, fatigue among the players. Perhaps some even had one eye on ensuring they did not pick up an injury ahead of the final. Yet, when they needed to mobilise and fight back after Van Dijk scored, players found the energy and ripped Liverpool apart through pace, directness, and ruthlessness in transition.

It has been a wildly fluctuating season, fraught with emotion. After a terrible start, from October to the end of January, Villa won more games than any other Premier League side (13). At the opposite end of the scale and before Liverpool’s visit, only four sides had accrued fewer points than Villa (13) since the start of February.

“The season we started poorly,” Emery said. “We were fantastic for three months, then again we were down, not feeling comfortable or confident, but the consistency and the demands always were high, and we never gave up.”

Villa are still relatively new to the Champions League party, though their participation is vital to keep fuel in the tank. Financial restrictions are still expected to be a challenge this summer, limiting Villa’s ability to spend and increasing their openness to sell. They will have more room for manoeuvre with Champions League revenues, with Villa’s commercial income, particularly potential sponsorship deals, significantly aided.


Emery’s team, so far, has shown a way to battle against such limitations. Financial sanctions were viewed as stifling progress last summer, and led to an increasingly stagnant mood setting in. This was an ageing squad, with many uncertain futures. It is hard to remember now or to mock, but there was a feeling that direct rivals — such as Newcastle United — had strengthened and were stretching beyond them. Sporting director Monchi left, owing to developing tensions with Emery.

This seeped onto the pitch. Villa were running less and sprinting less. Noises from the dressing room suggested players were behind the manager, but there was a crisis of confidence, and no one could put a finger on the main issue.

Emery has largely worked with the same players for three years, and through his collective structure, he has maximised their abilities. The only response he and his team had to those troubles was to train harder and trust the principles of work that had delivered previous success.

“Today is the summary, because this team, this atmosphere, this result is when we are feeling strong,” said Emery. “I am so happy, so proud of every Aston Villa supporter, every worker, every player, every coach.”

It was apt that Watkins, a player who has been criticised heavily this season and who Emery has repeatedly defended, scored twice. Similarly, John McGinn’s stunning goal, his team’s fourth, with Villa’s captain seemingly at the epicentre of any big game, or any big moment in the club’s recent history. The goal was sublime, from outside the box and bending into the far corner. Of course, it was from outside the box — defying underlying metrics and scoring from long range has been one of the themes of Villa’s season.

They will now head to Istanbul in search of footballing immortality. As staff say, players have one more match to make themselves legends. Achieving Champions League qualification beforehand, though, represents another extraordinary feat.