How the Champions League format works

The UEFA Champions League is the top competition for Europe's best men's soccer clubs. It runs alongside the domestic leagues from September to the start of June, with most games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

The format changed in 2024–25, when the old group stage of 32 teams in groups of four was replaced by a single "league phase" of 36 teams. The 2026–27 season is the third under this system. Here is how it works.

The short version

• 36 clubs play in one big league table. Each plays eight games against eight different opponents, four at home and four away.
• The top eight go straight to the round of 16. Clubs finishing 9th to 24th play a two-legged knockout playoff round for the other eight places. Clubs finishing 25th to 36th are out.
• From the round of 16 to the semifinals, ties are played over two legs, home and away, and the aggregate score decides who goes through.
• The final is a single game at a venue chosen in advance. The 2027 final is on June 5 at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
• The Europa League and Conference League use the same structure one and two levels down.

Who gets in

Most places go to clubs based on where they finished in their domestic league the season before. Countries whose leagues have done best in Europe over recent years get more places, so England, Spain, Germany and Italy each send at least four clubs.

There are also a few other routes:

• The previous season's Champions League winner and Europa League winner qualify.
• Two "European Performance Spots" go to the two countries whose clubs did best in Europe the season before. For 2026–27, those were England and Spain, so each sent one more club.
• Other clubs, mostly from smaller leagues, play qualifying rounds over the summer for the remaining places. Clubs knocked out in qualifying usually drop into the Europa League or Conference League.

The league phase

Before the league phase starts, the 36 clubs are split into four pots of nine based on their results in Europe over recent seasons. The title holder goes in the top pot.

Each club is drawn to face two opponents from each pot, one at home and one away. Clubs from the same country can't be drawn against each other, and no club faces more than two clubs from any one other country. The draw is done with the help of software, which works out a full schedule that fits all the rules.

Every club plays eight games, but not the same eight opponents, so the schedule is not equal. A win earns 3 points and a draw 1. If clubs finish level on points, goal difference comes first, followed by a list of other tiebreakers.

For 2026–27, the league phase runs from September 8, 2026 to January 27, 2027. On the last matchday, all 18 games kick off at the same time, so no club can wait to see other results.

What the final table decides

The final league phase table splits the 36 clubs into three groups:

• 1st to 8th: straight into the round of 16.
• 9th to 24th: into the knockout phase playoffs.
• 25th to 36th: eliminated.

Under the old system, the third-placed club in each group dropped into the Europa League. That no longer happens.

The knockout phase playoffs

The 16 clubs that finished 9th to 24th are paired by position, and a draw decides the exact matchups within each pairing:

• 9th or 10th against 23rd or 24th
• 11th or 12th against 21st or 22nd
• 13th or 14th against 19th or 20th
• 15th or 16th against 17th or 18th

Each tie has two legs, and the higher-ranked club plays the second leg at home. The away goals rule, which used to count goals scored away from home as worth more in a tie, was scrapped in 2021, so only the aggregate score counts. If the aggregate is level after the second leg, the teams play two more 15-minute periods, then a penalty shootout if needed.

In 2026–27, the playoffs are on February 16–17 and 23–24, 2027.

Round of 16 to the semifinals

The eight playoff winners join the top eight in the round of 16. The bracket is largely fixed by league phase position, so finishing higher gives a club an easier path on paper.

Home advantage in the second leg also follows league phase position. The top eight host the second leg of their round of 16 tie. Under the rules used since 2025–26, the top four also host the second leg of a quarterfinal and the top two host the second leg of a semifinal, if they get that far. A club that knocks out a higher seed takes over that seed's place in the bracket.

The 2026–27 dates are:

• Round of 16: March 9–10 and 16–17, 2027
• Quarterfinals: April 6–7 and 13–14, 2027
• Semifinals: April 27–28 and May 4–5, 2027

The final

The final is one game, usually at a neutral stadium chosen years ahead. The 2026–27 final is on Saturday, June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano in Madrid, home of Atlético de Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain won the competition in 2025 and again in 2026, when they beat Arsenal on penalties in Budapest after a 1–1 draw. Real Madrid have won it more times than any other club.

The winner earns a place in the next season's league phase and plays the Europa League winner in the UEFA Super Cup the following August.

The Europa League and Conference League in brief

UEFA's two other club competitions use the same idea of one league table followed by knockouts.

• Europa League: 36 clubs, eight league phase games each against opponents from four pots. Most games are on Thursday nights. The winner earns a place in the next season's Champions League.
• Conference League: 36 clubs, six league phase games each, one against an opponent from each of six pots, three at home and three away. The winner earns a place in the next season's Europa League.

In both, the top eight go to the round of 16 and clubs finishing 9th to 24th play a knockout playoff round. Once the league phases begin in September, each club stays in its own competition for the rest of the season.

Frequently asked questions

How many teams are in the Champions League league phase?

There are 36 clubs in a single table. Each plays eight games against eight different opponents, four at home and four away.

Do teams that miss out on the knockouts drop into the Europa League?

No. That was a feature of the old group stage. Clubs that finish 25th to 36th, and the eight that lose in the knockout playoffs, are out of Europe for the season.

Is there still an away goals rule in the Champions League?

No. UEFA scrapped it in 2021. Two-legged ties are decided on aggregate score, then by two 15-minute periods and penalties if the teams are still level.

When is the 2027 Champions League final?

It is on Saturday, June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano in Madrid.

If your club is in Europe this season, a Get Your Sports Here briefing can cover its Champions League games alongside its league games, with each fact linked to its source, and you can make a one-page game sheet before each tie. How Get Your Sports Here works explains the setup, and you can start a briefing here.