When does UEFA Champions League start? Playoff round schedule and bracket

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.

The 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.

While 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.

Here's what to know for the playoff round and Champions League at large:

Where to watch Champions League

The UEFA Champions League streams exclusively on Paramount+.

Watch Champions League on Paramount+

Champions League bracket: Playoff round

Winners of two-legged ties advance to league phase

• 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?

Twenty-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.

• 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

• 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?

The draw for the league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League will be held on Aug. 27.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does UEFA Champions League start? Playoff round schedule and bracket