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The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League is on to the playoff round, the final stage of qualifying before the 36-team league phase begins in September.
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\nThe playoff round features seven two-legged ties, with the winners advancing to join 29 other clubs who qualified directly for the league phase. The matches will be played on Aug. 18-19 with the second legs scheduled for Aug. 25-26 across Europe.
\nWhile the expanded format has taken some of the star power out of the playoff round in recent years, fans will be familiar with a handful of the participants including Scottish giant Celtic, Turkey's Fenerbahçe and last year's darling Bodø/Glimt from Norway.
\nHere's what to know for the playoff round and Champions League at large:
\nWhere to watch Champions League
\nThe UEFA Champions League streams exclusively on Paramount+.
\nWatch Champions League on Paramount+
\nChampions League bracket: Playoff round
\nWinners of two-legged ties advance to league phase
\n- Levski Sofia 🇧🇬 vs. AEK Athens 🇬🇷
- Dinamo Zagreb 🇭🇷 vs. Viking FK 🇳🇴
- Slovan Bratislava 🇸🇰 vs. Celje 🇸🇮
- Sabah 🇦🇿 vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva 🇮🇱
- LASK 🇦🇹 vs. Celtic 🏴
- Fenerbahçe 🇹🇷 vs. Lyon 🇫🇷
- N.E.C. Nijmegen 🇳🇱 vs. Bodø/Glimt 🇳🇴
What teams are in Champions League?
\nTwenty-nine teams qualified directly for the UCL's primary league phase, which begins in September. These 29 will be joined by the seven playoff winners.
\n- Arsenal 🏴
- AS Roma 🇮🇹
- Aston Villa 🏴
- Atlético Madrid 🇪🇸
- Bayern Munich 🇩🇪
- Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪
- Club Brugge 🇧🇪
- Como 🇮🇹
- FC Barcelona 🇪🇸
- FC Porto 🇵🇹
- Feyenoord 🇳🇱
- Galatasaray 🇹🇷
- Inter Milan 🇮🇹
- Liverpool 🏴
- LOSC Lille 🇫🇷
- Manchester City 🏴
- Manchester United 🏴
- Napoli 🇮🇹
- Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷
- PSV Eindhoven 🇳🇱
- RB Leipzig 🇩🇪
- RC Lens 🇫🇷
- Real Betis 🇪🇸
- Real Madrid 🇪🇸
- Shakhtar Donetsk 🇺🇦
- Slavia Prague 🇨🇿
- Sporting CP 🇵🇹
- VfB Stuttgart 🇩🇪
- Villarreal 🇪🇸
Champions League schedule 2026-2027
\n- Playoff round: Aug. 18-19 / Aug. 25-26
- League phase: Sept. 8 - Jan. 27, 2027
- Each teams plays eight matches
- Knockout playoffs: Feb. 16-17 / Feb. 23-24
- Round of 16: March 9-10 / March 16-17
- Quarterfinals: April 6-7 / April 13-14
- Semifinals: April 27-28 / May 4-5
- Final: June 5, 2027 in Madrid
When is the Champions League draw?
\nThe draw for the league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League will be held on Aug. 27.
\nThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does UEFA Champions League start? Playoff round schedule and bracket
