Who has qualified for Champions League? Live list of teams

The field for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League is almost set, with 29 of the 36 spots and the tournament's league phase already booked and the final spots being booked on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the draw on Thursday, Aug. 27.

Paris Saint-Germain is the defending champion, repeating in 2026 after winning the club's long-awaited European crown a year earlier. The French side beat Arsenal on penalties in last season's final, denying the Gunners their first-ever Champions League win.

Real Madrid is the most successful team in the tournament's history with 15 titles, most recently winning in 2024.

It's the third year with the Champions League's new format, featuring one "league" of 36 teams, each playing eight matches. The top eight teams qualify

directly to the round of 16, while the clubs that finish 9th-24th in the standings are drawn into two-legged playoff ties to secure a spot in the last 16.

Here's what to know about the field for this year's Champions League:

Champions League qualified teams

(Entering Tuesday, Aug. 24)

Twenty-nine clubs qualified directly to the league phase of the 2026-27 Champions League. The final seven teams will be decided in the playoff rounds.

• Arsenal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• Aston Villa 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• Atlético Madrid 🇪🇸
• Barcelona 🇪🇸
• Bayern Munich 🇩🇪
• Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪
• Club Brugge 🇧🇪
• Como 🇮🇹
• Feyenoord 🇳🇱
• Galatasaray 🇹🇷
• Inter Milan 🇮🇹
• Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• LOSC Lille 🇫🇷
• Manchester City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• Manchester United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
• Napoli 🇮🇹
• Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷
• PSV Eindhoven 🇳🇱
• RC Lens 🇫🇷
• Real Betis 🇪🇸
• Real Madrid 🇪🇸
• AS Roma 🇮🇹
• FC Porto 🇵🇹
• Shakhtar Donetsk 🇺🇦
• Slavia Prague 🇨🇿
• Sporting CP 🇵🇹
• VfB Stuttgart 🇩🇪
• Villarreal 🇪🇸

When does Champions League start?

Dates for the league phase:

• Matchday 1: Sept. 8–10, 2026
• Matchday 2: Oct. 13–14, 2026
• Matchday 3: Oct. 20–21, 2026
• Matchday 4: Nov. 3–4, 2026
• Matchday 5: Nov. 24–25, 2026
• Matchday 6: Dec. 8–9, 2026
• Matchday 7: Jan. 19–20, 2027
• Matchday 8: Jan. 27, 2027

Champions League schedule

Knockout phase play-offs

• 1st leg: Feb. 16–17, 2027
• 2nd leg: Feb. 23–24, 2027

Round of 16

• 1st leg: March 9–10, 2027
• 2nd leg: March 16–17, 2027

Quarterfinals

• 1st leg: April 6–7, 2027
• 2nd leg: April 13–14, 2027

Semifinals

• 1st leg: April 27–28, 2027
• 2nd leg: May 4–5, 2027

Final

• Date: June 5, 2027 (Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who has qualified for Champions League? Live list of teams