To help you follow every step on the road to the final in June, we explain all you need to know about the upcoming 2026/27 Conference League season below, from the key dates to the draws, teams, and the format of the competition.
How did the qualifying phase work?
Unlike the Champions League and Europa League, there were no direct qualifiers for the Conference League. All 36 participants came from either the Conference League play-offs or dropped down after losing in the final stage of the Europa League play-offs.
The Conference League play-offs were staged over four rounds, with 48 teams reaching the final play-offs. The 24 winners of those progressed to the league phase, along with the 12 losers from the Europa League's final play-off round.
Dates for the Conference League qualifying rounds
First qualifying round: July 9th and 16th, 2026
Second qualifying round: July 23rd and 30th, 2026
Third qualifying round: August 6th and 13th, 2026
Play-offs: August 20th and 27th, 2026
Which teams qualified?
The following 36 teams qualified for the Conference League proper:
Aarhus (DEN); Ajax (NED); Atalanta (ITA); Borac Banja Luka (BIH); Braga (POR); Brann (NOR); Brighton (ENG); FC Copenhagen (DEN); Crvena zvezda (SRB); CSKA Sofia (BUL); Egnatia (ALB); Freiburg (GER); Gent (BEL); Getafe (ESP); Hajduk Split (CRO); Hearts (SCO); Iberia 1999 (GEO); Inter Escaldes (AND); Jablonec (CZE); Kairat Almaty (KAZ); Kauno Zalgiris (LTU); KuPS (FIN); Lincoln Red Imps (GIB); Lugano (SUI); Midtjylland (DEN); Mjallby (SWE); Monaco (FRA); Nordsjaelland (DEN); Pafos (CYP); Panathinaikos (GRE); Riga FC (LAT); St. Truiden (BEL); Thun (SUI); Trabzonspor (TUR); Twente (NED); Universitatea Craiova (ROM)
When are the various Conference League draws?
First qualifying round: June 16th, 2026
Second qualifying round: June 17th, 2026
Third qualifying round: July 20th, 2026
Play-offs: August 3rd, 2026
League phase: August 28th, 2026
Knockout round play-offs: January 15th, 2027
Round of 16 and final bracket: February 26th, 2027
How did the league phase draw work?
The draw for the main phase of the Conference League took place from 13:00 CET on Friday, August 28th, in Monaco. The ceremony was a combined event for the Europa and Conference League draws, and was streamed on UEFA.com.
For the draw, the 36 teams that qualified for the tournament were placed into six pots of six teams (as opposed to four pots for the Champions League and Europa League), with one being the highest-ranked and six being the lowest. The pot placements were based on UEFA's club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending at the conclusion of 2025/26.
The draw determined each side's six fixtures for the league phase, with every team drawing one team from each of the six pots. Like the other UEFA competitions, teams couldn't draw a side from the same country as themselves.
See the results of the league phase draw here!
Which teams were in each pot?
Pot 1: Atalanta; Braga; Ajax; Freiburg; Monaco; Copenhagen
Pot 2: Midtjylland; Red Star Belgrade; Gent; Panathinaikos; Pafos; Brighton and Hove Albion
Pot 3: Lugano; Getafe; KuPS; FC Twente; Lincoln Red Imps; Borac Banja Luka
Pot 4: Sint-Truiden; Brann; Hearts; Kairat; Trabzonspor; Universitatea Craiova
Pot 5: Riga; Hadjuk Split; Jablonec; Nordsjaelland; AGF; Inter d'Escaldes
Pot 6: Thun; CSKA Sofia; Kauno Zalgiris; Mjallby AIF; Iberia 1999; Egnatia
The format of the Conference League
The teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase after the six Matchdays qualify for the Conference League's Round of 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.
When are the league phase matchdays?
Matchday 1: October 15th, 2026
Matchday 2: October 22nd, 2026
Matchday 3: November 5th, 2026
Matchday 4: November 26th, 2026
Matchday 5: December 10th, 2026
Matchday 6: December 17th, 2026
When are the knockout rounds played?
Knockout play-offs: February 18th and 25th, 2027
Round of 16: March 11th and 18th, 2027
Quarter-finals: April 8th and 15th, 2027
Semi-finals: April 29th and May 6th, 2027
Final: June 2nd, 2027
When and where is the Conference League final?
The 2026/27 Conference League final will be staged on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2027, at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. The stadium hosted the 2019 UEFA Super Cup as well as the 2026 Europa League final.
