UEFA reveals Champions League 2026/27 play‑off pairings

UEFA has officially published the Champions League 2026/27 play‑off (spareggi) draw, outlining the match‑ups that will decide the final places in the group stage for the continent’s premier competition. The draw involved fourteen clubs split between the Champions (Campioni) and League (Piazzate) paths, with several ties awaiting the outcome of earlier rounds.

In the Percorso Campioni, the opening clash pits Celtic against LASK, setting the tone for the Champions route.

AEK Atene will meet the winner of the Levski Sofia versus Kairat Almaty encounter, adding a Greek side to the Campioni bracket.

Other Campioni ties feature the winner of Dinamo Zagabria‑Kauno Žalgiris against Viking, Mjällby or ŠK Slovan Bratislava opposite Ararat‑Armenia or Celje, and Hapoel Beer‑Sheva or Stella Rossa versus AGF Aarhus (DEN) or Sabah.

The Percorso Piazzate offers a tantalising prospect of Lione versus Fenerbahçe SK (TUR), coached by José Mourinho, or Sturm Graz should the French side overcome AC Sparta Praha in the previous round.

A further Piazzate confrontation will see the victor of Olympiacos‑N.E.C. Nijmegen face the winner of Union Saint‑Gilloise‑Bodø/Glimt.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the first‑leg matches are scheduled for 18 and 19 August, with the return legs set for 25 and 26 August.

Attention now turns to the remaining preliminary rounds that will complete the spareggi bracket and allocate the last group‑stage spots in Europe’s top competition.