The new season of the UEFA Champions League began in early July before the FIFA Club World Cup, technically taking place in 2024/25, had even finished.
Teams from all across Europe are battling to earn a coveted spot in arguably the world’s most esteemed club competition, especially the lucrative league phase.
This will be the second season of the expanded competition, with the inaugural edition of the new format garnering high praise for its drama and theatrics.
The Sporting News brings you an updated look at who has qualified for the next edition of the UEFA Champions League as the qualifiers get underway.
JUMP TO: Latest Champions League qualifying results
How many teams qualify for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League?
There will be 36 teams in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
Twenty-five clubs secure an automatic place in the competition by virtue of their domestic-league placing in the 2024/25 season. The tournament holders, plus the winners of the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League, also qualify automatically.
Seven other teams will earn a spot via the qualifying rounds, and the final two places are assigned to those leagues with the strongest coefficient ranking. At the moment, that will see one extra team from England and Spain given a place in the league phase.
MORE: All the latest Champions League news | How does the 2024/25 Champions League work? | Full UCL match schedule
Teams qualified for UEFA Champions League in 2025/26
League Phase
| Club | Nation | Qualified Via |
| Tottenham | England | Europa League winners |
| Liverpool | England | 1st — Premier League |
| Arsenal | England | 2nd — Premier League |
| Manchester City | England | 3rd — Premier League |
| Chelsea | England | 4th — Premier League |
| Newcastle United | England | 5th — Premier League |
| Barcelona | Spain | 1st — La Liga |
| Real Madrid | Spain | 2nd — La Liga |
| Atletico Madrid | Spain | 3rd — La Liga |
| Athletic Club | Spain | 4th — La Liga |
| Villarreal | Spain | 5th — La Liga |
| Bayern Munich | Germany | Bundesliga |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Germany | Bundesliga |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Germany | 3rd — Bundesliga |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | 4th — Bundesliga |
| Napoli | Italy | Serie A |
| Inter Milan | Italy | Serie A (position TBD) |
| Atalanta | Italy | 3rd — Serie A |
| Juventus | Italy | 4th — Serie A |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France | 1st — Ligue 1 |
| Marseille | France | 2nd — Ligue 1 |
| Monaco | France | 3rd — Ligue 1 |
| PSV | Netherlands | 1st — Eredivisie |
| Ajax | Netherlands | 2nd — Eredivisie |
| Sporting CP | Portugal | 1st — Primeira Liga |
| Galatasaray | Turkey | 1st — Super Lig |
| Slavia Prague | Czechia | 1st — First League |
| Union SG | Belgium | 1st — Pro League |
| Olympiacos | Greece | UCL rebalancing rule* |
*Olympiacos granted league-phase spot because 2025 UCL finalists have already qualified
Qualifying Rounds
CP = Champions Path — For clubs that win their league title
LP = League Path — For clubs that do not win a league championship
| Club | Nation | Qualified Via | Round Entering |
| Celtic | Scotland | 1st — Premiership | Playoff Round |
| Basel | Switzerland | 1st — Super League | Playoff Round |
| Sturm Graz | Austria | 1st — Bundesliga | Playoff Round |
| Bodo/Glimt | Norway | 1st — Eliteserien | Playoff Round |
| Nice | France | 4th — Ligue 1 | 3rd Qualifying Round |
| Feyenoord | Netherlands | 3rd — Eredivisie | 3rd Qualifying Round |
| Benfica/Sporting CP | Portugal | 2nd — Primeria Liga | 3rd Qualifying Round |
| Club Brugge | Belgium | 2nd — Pro League | 3rd Qualifying Round |
| Fenerbahce | Turkey | 2nd — Super Lig | 3rd Qualifying Round |
| Copenhagen | Denmark | 1st — Superliga | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | Israel | 1st — Premier League | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Ukraine | 1st — Premier League | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Red Star Belgrade | Serbia | 1st — SuperLiga | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Qarabag | Azerbaijan | 1st — Az. Premier League | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Rijeka | Croatia | 1st — Football League | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Lech Poznan | Poland | 1st — Ekstraklasa | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Pafos | Cyprus | 1st — First Division | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Ferencvaros | Hungary | 1st — NB 1 | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Slovan Bratislava | Slovakia | 1st — Slovak First League | 2nd Qualifying Round (CP) |
| Viktoria Plzen | Czechia | 2nd — First League | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Rangers | Scotland | 2nd — Premiership | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Servette | Switzerland | 2nd — Super League | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Austria | 2nd — Bundesliga | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Brann | Norway | 2nd — Eliteserien | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Panathinaikos | Greece | Super League | 2nd Qualifying Round (LP) |
| Malmo FF | Sweden | 1st — Allsvenskan | 1st Qualifying Round |
| FCSB | Romania | 1st — SuperLiga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Bulgaria | 1st — First League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | Slovenia | 1st — PrvaLiga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Milsami Orhei | Moldova | 1st — Super Liga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Drita | Kosovo | 1st — Superleague | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Kairat | Kazakhstan | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| KuPS | Finland | 1st — Veikkausliiga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Shelbourne | Rep. of Ireland | 1st — Premier Division | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Noah | Armenia | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| RFS | Latvia | 1st — Higher League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Vikingur Gota | Faroe Islands | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Zrinjski Mostar | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Breidablik | Iceland | 1st — Besta deild karla | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Linfield | Northern Ireland | 1st — Premiership | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Differdange 03 | Luxembourg | 1st — National Division | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Zalgiris | Lithuania | 1st — A Liga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Hamrun Spartans | Malta | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Iberia 1999 | Georgia | 1st — Erovnuli Liga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Egnatia | Albania | 1st — Kategoria Superiore | 1st Qualifying Round |
| FCI Levadia | Estonia | 1st — Meistriliiga | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Dinamo Minsk | Belarus | 1st — Premier League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Shkendija | North Macedonia | 1st — First League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Inter Club d’Escaldes | Andorra | 1st — Primera Divisio | 1st Qualifying Round |
| The New Saints | Wales | 1st — Cymru Premier | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Buducnost Podgorica | Montenegro | 1st — First League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Lincoln Red Imps | Gibraltar | 1st — Football League | 1st Qualifying Round |
| Virtus | San Marino | 1st — Campionato di Calcio | 1st Qualifying Round |
Champions League qualifying schedule, results
Home score listed first in all scorelines. First team listed in matchups is home in first leg, away in second leg.
Playoffs
| Match | 1st leg | 2nd leg score |
| Red Star vs. Pafos | 1-2 | Tue, Aug. 26 |
| Rangers vs. Club Brugge | 1-3 | Wed, Aug. 27 |
| Ferencvaros vs. Qarabag | 1-3 | Wed, Aug. 27 |
| Celtic vs. Kairat | Wed, Aug. 20 | Tue, Aug. 26 |
| Basel vs. Copenhagen | Wed, Aug. 20 | Wed, Aug. 27 |
| Bodo/Glimt vs. Sturm Graz | Wed, Aug. 20 | Tue, Aug. 26 |
| Fenerbahce vs. Benfica | Wed, Aug. 20 | Wed, Aug. 27 |
Round Three
| Match | 1st leg score | 2nd leg score |
| Lech Poznan 2-4 Red Star | 1-3 | 1-1 |
| Kairat 1-1 Slovan Bratislava Kairat won 4-3 on pens |
1-0 | 0-1 |
| Rangers 4-2 Viktoria Plzen | 3-0 | 1-2 |
| Shkendija 1-6 Qarabag | 0-1 | 1-5 |
| Dynamo Kiev 0-3 Pafos | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Ludogorets 0-3 Ferencvaros | 0-0 | 0-3 |
| Malmo 0-5 Copenhagen | 0-0 | 0-5 |
| Salzburg 2-4 Club Brugge | 0-1 | 2-3 |
| Feyenoord 2-5 Fenerbahce | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Nice 0-4 Benfica | 0-2 | 0-2 |
Round Two
| Aggregate result | 1st leg score | 2nd leg score |
| KuPS 2-3 Kairat | 2-0 | 0-3 |
| Noah 4-6 Ferencvaros | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Lincoln Red Imps 1-6 Red Star | 0-1 | 0-5 |
| Copenhagen 3-0 Drita | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| Viktoria Plzen 3-2 Servette | 0-1 | 3-1 |
| RFS 1-5 Malmo | 1-4 | 0-1 |
| Pafos 2-1 Maccabi Tel-Aviv | 1-1 | 1-0 |
| Hamrun 0-6 Dynamo Kiev | 0-3 | 0-3 |
| Shkendija 3-1 FCSB | 1-0 | 2-1 |
| Slovan Bratislava 6-2 Zrinjski | 4-0 | 2-2 |
| Lech Poznan 8-1 Breidablik | 7-1 | 1-0 |
| Rijeka 1-3 Ludogorets | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Rangers 3-1 Panathinaikos | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Brann 2-5 Salzburg | 1-4 | 1-1 |
| Shelbourne 0-4 Qarabag | 0-3 | 0-1 |
Round One
| Aggregate result | 1st leg score | 2nd leg score |
| KuPS 1-0 Milsami | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Saburtalo 2-6 Malmo | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Noah 3-2 Buducnost Podgorica | 1-0 | 2-2 |
| Levadia 0-2 RFS | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| Olimpija 1-3 Kairat | 1-1 | 0-2 |
| The New Saints 1-2 Shkendija | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Vikingur 2-4 Lincoln Red Imps | 2-3 | 0-1 |
| Drita 4-2 FC Differdange 03 | 1-0 | 3-2 |
| Egnatia 1-5 Breidablik | 1-0 | 0-5 |
| Virtus 1-4 Zrinjski | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Zalgiris 2-2 Hamrun Hamrun won 11-10 on penalties |
2-0 | 0-2 |
| Ludogorets 3-2 Dinamo Minsk | 1-0 | 2-2 |
| FCSB 4-3 Inter d’Escaldes | 3-1 | 1-2 |
| Shelbourne 2-1 Linfield | 1-0 | 1-1 |
