Conference League
all times Zurich time
Every round
10 rounds · 258 tiesThe Conference League is UEFA's third club competition, and the only one nobody enters directly: all 36 league-phase places are reached through a qualifying result — winning a play-off here, or losing a Europa League play-off and being placed here. Three qualifying rounds and a play-off, all two-legged, feed the league phase: one shared table, six matches each against six different opponents. The top eight advance straight to the round of 16, clubs placed 9th to 24th meet in a two-legged knockout play-off, and the rest are out. There is nothing below the Conference League, so a loser at any stage here is out of Europe. The final is in Istanbul on 2 June 2027. UEFA publishes all dates as subject to change.
Who plays · 52 clubs open the main path — 26 ties, the biggest qualifying round in European football.
Draw · Drawn 16 June 2026.
When · First legs 9 July, second legs 16 July 2026.
How it works · Two legs, aggregate score, no away-goals rule; level after both legs means extra time and then penalties in the second leg. A loser here, as at every Conference League stage, is out of Europe.
52 ties · complete
Who plays · 54 fresh entrants join the 26 winners and six Europa League first-round losers on the main path; the champions path opens with twelve first-round losers from Champions League qualifying — 49 ties in all.
Draw · Drawn 17 June 2026.
When · First legs 23 July, second legs 30 July 2026.
How it works · Two legs; the aggregate winner advances.
98 ties · complete
Who plays · On the main path the 43 winners meet nine Europa League second-round losers — 26 ties; on the champions path the six winners are joined by two more Champions League first-round losers — four ties.
Draw · Drawn 20 July 2026.
When · First legs 6 August, second legs 13 August 2026.
How it works · Two legs; the aggregate winner advances.
60 ties · complete
Who plays · For every club here this is the one tie between them and the league phase. Five fresh entrants arrive on the main path — Brighton among them, in the slot for the sixth-placed clubs of Europe's top five leagues — joining the 26 third-round winners and seven main-path losers from the Europa League's third qualifying round: 19 ties. The champions path adds five more, its four winners plus six Europa League champions-path losers.
Draw · Monday 3 August 2026 in Nyon — made before the third qualifying round finishes, so a pairing may name the winner of a tie whose second leg is 13 August.
When · First legs Thursday 20 August, second legs Thursday 27 August 2026.
How it works · Two legs; the aggregate winner reaches the league phase, and the loser is out of Europe — the Conference League has nothing beneath it.
48 ties · complete
League phase
Who plays · 36 clubs: the 24 play-off winners, joined by the twelve Europa League play-off losers, who complete the field.
Draw · Friday 28 August 2026 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon — each club is assigned six opponents, one from each of six seeding pots, three at home and three away.
When · Six Thursday matchdays, 15 October to 17 December 2026 — the league phase is done before Christmas.
How it works · One shared 36-club table. The top eight go straight to the round of 16; 9th to 24th drop to the knockout play-offs; 25th to 36th are eliminated.
Matchday 1
Up next — the current round
Matchday 2
18 ties
Matchday 3
18 ties
Matchday 4
18 ties
Matchday 5
18 ties
Matchday 6
18 ties
Knockout play-offs
Not yet drawnWho plays · The clubs ranked 9th to 24th in the league phase: seeded 9-16 against unseeded 17-24 on a fixed cross, with the seeded club at home in the second leg.
Draw · Not yet scheduled — UEFA lists the knockout-phase draw dates as still to be confirmed.
When · First legs 18 February, second legs 25 February 2027.
How it works · Two legs; winners advance to the round of 16, losers are out.
Round of 16
Not yet drawnWho plays · The league phase's top eight enter, against the eight play-off winners.
Draw · To be confirmed — the season's last draw: it only settles bracket slots, and from the quarter-finals the bracket is fixed.
When · First legs 11 March, second legs 18 March 2027.
How it works · Two legs; the aggregate winner goes through.
Quarter-finals
Not yet drawnWho plays · The last eight, paired by the fixed bracket — there is no quarter-final draw.
When · First legs 8 April, second legs 15 April 2027.
How it works · Two legs; clubs ranked 1-4 in the league phase host the second leg.
Semi-finals
Not yet drawnWho plays · The last four, on the bracket.
When · First legs 29 April, second legs 6 May 2027.
How it works · Two legs; clubs ranked 1-2 in the league phase host the second leg.
Final
Not yet drawnWho plays · The final, at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul.
When · Wednesday 2 June 2027.
How it works · One match at a neutral venue; extra time and penalties if level.