Teams qualified for Champions League next season: List of clubs to contest UEFA competition in 2026/27

As the 2025/26 competition wraps up with the final on May 30, some of the focus has turned to next season's competition as teams gun for qualifying places in the upcoming Champions League tournament. Real Madrid , the most successful side in the competition with 15 European titles, lead the pack along with some of the top domestic champions from across the continent. The top clubs from around Europe will be on hand, tested by some of the Cinderella stories who look to become household names across the globe.

Last season, Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt made waves with a run into the knockout phase, and they have qualified for next year's competition as they hope to make a similar charge. The Sporting News takes you through all the teams involved in next year's Champions League tournament, as well as all the places still to be earned and determined. MORE: Tracking the chase for European qualification across the Premier League table Teams qualified for the Champions League league phase next season In total, 36 teams will participate in the league phase of the Champions League in 2026/27.

Of those, 29 will qualify directly to this lucrative phase of the competition, while seven will qualify from the playoff rounds. The top four teams in each of the four highest-ranked leagues across UEFA gain direct access to the league phase. After that, three teams qualify directly from the fifth-ranked league, two from the sixth-ranked league, and one from leagues ranked seven through 10.

Additionally, there are two places earned via overall league participation in the previous season's UEFA competition structure, known as European Performance Spots (EPS). For the 2026/27 season, England has already secured one of these spots, while Spain and Germany are fighting for the second. League coefficients Rank Nation League phase qualifiers Playoff round qualifiers 1.