Champions League Schedule 2026-27: Key Dates, Fixtures and Tickets

The 2026-27 Champions League schedule is here — including key dates, format explainer, and how to get tickets.

Last updated: May 31, 2026

Now that PSG have defended their Champions League title by beating Arsenal in the final, attention turns to the 2026-27 Champions League Schedule. We have that here, along with other key dates and information for the Champions League, including how to buy Champions League tickets from Groundhopper Soccer Guides.

First, a very quick introduction to the UEFA Champions League, for those who don’t know why it’s such a big deal.

What is the UEFA Champions League?

The world of soccer is organized into regions, each of which contains multiple countries with their own leagues. Within each region, there are competitions among both clubs and countries. Countries compete for World Cup qualification as well as regional competitions. In Europe, the latter is the European Championships, or Euros; in South America it’s the Copa America, etc. (This video has a lot more on the organization of worldwide soccer.)

Each region also has an annual club competition made up the best clubs from each country; in Europe, whose region is called UEFA, that is the UEFA Champions League. (Here’s a whole blog post on What is the UEFA Champions League.) With so much money and, therefore, top players and big clubs in Europe, the Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in the world.

The top four (sometimes 5) English Premier League clubs qualify for the Champions League; this is what is meant by “getting into Europe.”

How to Buy Champions League Tickets

Groundhopper Guides are official sales agents for many clubs that play in the Champions League each season. For example, in the 2025-26 Champions League, we sold tickets for 15 of the top 16 teams in the final League Stage table, and several other beyond that.

Check out our Champions League ticket options here.

The Puskás Arena in Budapest will host the 2026 Champions League Final. OD Pictures, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Champions League Dates for 2026-27

Starting with the 2024-25 season, the format of the Champions League changed significantly. Check out this blog post to see those changes.

Champions League Preliminary and Qualifying Rounds

The Champions League Qualifying Rounds are for the champions of lower-ranked countries and high finishers from higher-ranked countries who didn’t automatically qualify. Each round is two legs, one at each place.

These rounds don’t include any teams from the top European leagues. Those clubs join for the League Stage.

First Qualifying Round

• Draw: June 16
• Games: July 7-8 and July 14-15

Second Qualifying Round

• Draw: June 17
• Games: July 21-22 and July 28-29

Third Qualifying Round

• Draw: July 20
• Games: August 4-5 and August 11

PSG won the 2024-25 Champions League.

2026-27 Champions League “League Stage” Dates

The draw for the 2026-27 Champions League “League Stage” will take place on August 27, 2026.

During the League Stage, the 36 teams will play eight games.

The 2026-27 Champions League Phase Game Rounds are all Tuesday-Wednesday evenings, except the first round.

• September 8-10 (Tuesday-Thursday)
• October 13-14
• October 20-21
• November 3-4
• November 24-25
• December 8-9
• January 19-20
• January 27, with everyone playing at the same time.

2026-27 Champions League Knockout round play-offs

After the League Stage, the top 8 will move on to the round of 16 and teams 9 to 24 will go into a play-off round which sees each tie play out over two legs. The play-off winners also make it to the round of 16. Play-off ties — one at each club’s stadium — will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with the higher-seeded team at home in the second leg.

Knockout playoff draw: January 29.

Knockout playoff dates:

• February 16-17, 2027
• February 23-24, 2027

2026-27 Champions League Round of 16

Round of 16 games — one at each club’s stadium — will be played on the following Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Again, the higher-seeded team will be at home in the second leg.

The draw for the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals will be held on February 26, 2027.

The Round of 16 ties, one game at each club, will be played:

• March 9-10, 2027
• March 16-17, 2027

2026-27 Champions League Quarterfinals

The two-legged quarterfinal ties will be played:

• April 6-7, 2027
• April 13-14, 2027

2026-27 Champions League Semifinals

The two-legged semifinal ties will be played:

• April 27-28, 2027
• May 4-5, 2027

Where is the 2026-27 Champions League Final?

The 2026-27 Champions League Final will be played June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain — home of Atlético Madrid.

Buy Champions League Tickets

Groundhopper Guides is an authorized reseller of UEFA Champions League tickets. You can see more about our Champions League tickets here.

Fill out this form to find out more about buying Champions League tickets: