Champions League 2026/27 Qualifiers Underway as the Road to Madrid Begins

NYON — The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League is already in motion, with the second qualifying round playing out across late July as dozens of clubs chase a place in Europe's richest club competition.

Qualifying is under way

Europe's flagship club competition, now in its 72nd season, returned early. The 2026/27 Champions League kicked off on July 7, and by the final week of July attention had turned to the second qualifying round, with decisive second legs staged on July 28 and 29. Fixtures such as Dinamo Zagreb against Thun, Gornik Zabrze versus Fenerbahce, Lech Poznan against AGF and Hapoel Be'er Sheva versus Vikingur Reykjavik set the early tone.

The road to Madrid

The path to the league phase runs through several hurdles. The third qualifying round is scheduled for August 4/5 and August 11, followed by the play-offs on August 18/19 and August 25/26. Only then does the 36-team league phase begin, with Matchday 1 spanning September 8 to 10. The campaign will culminate at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5, 2027 — the same venue that hosted the 2019 final.

Clubs strengthen for the campaign

Several sides have used the summer to reinforce ahead of the European grind. Barcelona secured the signing of Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, while Roma added striker Santiago Castro. Elsewhere, veteran playmaker Dusan Tadic joined NEC Nijmegen for a qualifying push, and Yaya Toure marked his debut as head coach of Slovan Bratislava with a win in the qualifiers.

What comes next

As the qualifying rounds thin the field, the biggest names wait in the wings for the league phase draw. For the smaller clubs still in the competition, the coming weeks offer a rare shot at the group-stage riches — and a place among Europe's elite.