Playoff Field Set After Third Qualifying Round
Action across the continent on Tuesday, August 11, finalized the 14 teams left with a chance to reach the league stage. According to tournament tracking, the qualification path has been running since June 16 with more than 50 clubs involved. Four clubs had already secured their playoff berths directly by winning their respective domestic leagues: Celtic of Scotland, Viking of Norway, AEK Athens of Greece, and LASK Linz of Austria.
Ten additional clubs joined them on August 11, including perennial European contenders such as Bodø/Glimt, Fenerbahçe, and Olympique de Lyon. The playoff matchups feature Levski Sofia against AEK Athens, Celtic facing LASK, Dinamo Zagreb meeting Viking, Slovan Bratislava playing Celje, Hapoel Be’er Sheva taking on Sabah, Fenerbahçe squaring off against Olympique de Lyon, and NEC Nijmegen confronting Bodø/Glimt.
Financial Muscle and Notable Contenders
Among the participants, Fenerbahçe stands out as the most expensive squad in the playoffs, valued at 332 million euros. According to sports reports, the Turkish club’s roster features prominent names such as Nathan Aké, Milan Škriniar, Nélson Semedo, N’Golo Kanté, Anderson Talisca, Marco Asensio, Mason Greenwood, and Fred, alongside an expected arrival in Romelu Lukaku.
Celtic enters the round as the only playoff participant with a previous Champions League trophy to its name. Meanwhile, Bodø/Glimt returns to the spotlight after reaching the round of 16 last season by eliminating Inter Milan in the play-in stage.
Match Schedule and Draw Details
The stakes are high for the 14 remaining clubs as they battle for the final seven places in the league phase. The two-legged playoff ties are scheduled for August 18 and 19 for the first legs, followed by the return fixtures on August 25 and 26.
The seven victorious teams from these playoffs will be placed into Pots 3 and 4 for the league phase draw. That draw will take place on Thursday, August 27, exactly one day after the final playoff whistles blow. The league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League officially kicks off on Tuesday, September 8, operating under the format where each team plays eight matches among 36 total clubs.
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