The UEFA Champions League has for decades been known as not only the top competition in European club football, but even beyond that, the most coveted club trophy around the world.

As the 2025/26 competition wraps up, with just four teams remaining, some of the focus has turned to next season’s competition as teams gun for qualifying places in the upcoming Champions League tournament.

Real Madrid, the most successful side in the competition with 15 European titles, lead the pack along with some of the top domestic champions from across the continent.

The top clubs from around Europe will be on hand, tested by some of the Cinderella stories who look to become household names across the globe. Last season, Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt made waves with a run into the knockout phase, and they have qualified for next year’s competition as they hope to make a similar charge.

The Sporting News takes you through all the teams involved in next year’s Champions League tournament, as well as all the places still to be earned and determined.

MORE: Tracking the chase for European qualification across the Premier League table

Teams qualified for the Champions League league phase next season

36 teams will participate in the league phase of the Champions League in 2026/27.

Of those, 29 will qualify directly to this lucrative phase of the competition, while seven will qualify from the playoff rounds.

The top four teams in each of the four highest-ranked leagues across UEFA gain direct access to the league phase. After that, three teams qualify directly from the fifth-ranked league, two from the sixth-ranked league, and one from leagues ranked seven through 10.

Additionally, there are two places earned via overall league participation in the previous season’s UEFA competition structure, known as European Performance Spots (EPS). For the 2026/27 season, England has already secured one of these spots, while Spain and Germany are fighting for the second.

League coefficients

* Can potentially gain one more qualifying slot via European Performance Spots

League phase qualifiers

* England have mathematically secured a fifth Champions League place via the two slots awarded by UEFA to the top participants in the previous season’s competitions.
** The second nation to earn a fifth Champions League place via the two slots awarded by UEFA to the top participants in the previous season’s competitions has not yet been determined, with Spain and Germany still in the running.
*** In the event either the 2025/26 Champions League or Europa League title winners have already qualified via table position, this slot will fall to the highest-ranked club coefficient not already qualified for the league phase. This will trickle all the way down through the qualifying rounds as necessary, bumping teams up each round until the field is completely filled out.

Teams qualified for the Champions League qualifying rounds

All nations ranked 11th or below in the UEFA coefficient will see their league champions qualify for the playoff round, as well as a few others from those qualifying spots given out to additional participants.

These fall into two “paths” of qualifying. Five participants from the “champions path” made of all league champions will reach the league phase from the qualifying rounds, while two participants from the “league path” will advance.

Qualifying Playoff Round

Third Qualifying Round

* Can still qualify for the league phase via table position

Second Qualifying Round

First Qualifying Round