The road to the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League group stage is nearing its conclusion after UEFA confirmed the playoff draw for the final qualifying round.
Fourteen clubs will compete in two-legged playoff ties for the remaining places in the league phase, with several participants still to be determined after the ongoing third qualifying round.
The draw, conducted on Monday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, split the teams into two routes – the champions path for domestic league winners and the league pat h for clubs that qualified through their league positions in countries with multiple Champions League slots.
Among the standout fixtures, Scottish champions Celtic will face Austrian side LASK, while AEK Athens have been paired with either Levski Sofia of Bulgaria or Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty.
Elsewhere, the winners of Dinamo Zagreb versus Žalgiris will take on Norway’s Viking, while either Mjällby or Slovan Bratislava will meet Ararat-Armenia or Slovenia’s Celje.
Another tie will see either Hapoel Be’er Sheva or Red Star Belgrade face Aarhus or Sabah, while either Fenerbahce or Sturm Graz will play Sparta Prague or Lyon.
The final playoff fixture will pit either Olympiacos or NEC Nijmegen against Union Saint-Gilloise or Bodø/Glimt.
Champions League playoff draw
- Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) or Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) vs AEK Athens (Greece)
- Celtic (Scotland) vs LASK (Austria)
- Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) or Žalgiris (Lithuania) vs Viking (Norway)
- Mjällby (Sweden) or Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) vs Ararat-Armenia (Armenia) or Celje (Slovenia)
- Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel) or Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) vs Aarhus (Denmark) or Sabah (Azerbaijan)
- Fenerbahce (Turkey) or Sturm Graz (Austria) vs Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) or Lyon (France)
- Olympiacos (Greece) or NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) vs Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) or Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
The playoff first legs are scheduled for August 18 and 19, with the return fixtures taking place on August 25 and 26.
The winners will secure places in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, while all defeated teams will automatically enter the Europa League league phase.
The draw for the Champions League league phase will be held on August 27 in Monaco, a day after the conclusion of the playoff round.
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