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2025–26 UEFA Conference League

The 2025–26 UEFA Conference League is the fifth season of the UEFA Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.


Column 1
The Red Bull Arena in Leipzig will host the final
Qualifying:8 July – 28 August 2025Competition proper:2 October 2025 – 27 May 2026
Competition proper: 24+12Total: 109+55 (from 54 associations)
140
343 (2.45 per match)
1,611,866 (11,513 per match)
Mikael Ishak (Lech Poznań)Marius Mouandilmadji (Samsunspor)8 goals each
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 19 March 2026.

The 2025–26 UEFA Conference League is the fifth season of the UEFA Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.

This is the second UEFA Conference League played under a new format involving a 36-team league phase. The new format also does not allow teams to transfer from the Europa League to the Conference League from the league phase onwards, and thus the Conference League titleholders (Chelsea) are unable to defend their title as the winner of the Conference League automatically qualifies for the Europa League league phase. However, Chelsea had already qualified for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase via their domestic league position prior to winning the Conference League, so the automatic berth in the Europa League was not required and the access list was rebalanced.

The final will be played at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany. The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League league phase, unless they qualify for the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League or Europa League through their league performance. In which case, the access list will be rebalanced.

A total of 164 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations are participating in the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League. The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:

  • Associations 1–12 each have one team.
  • Associations 13–33 and 51–55 (except Russia) each have two teams.
  • Associations 34–50 each have three teams (except Liechtenstein, which has one).
  • 15 teams eliminated from the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League and 41 teams eliminated from the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League were transferred to the Conference League.

For the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2024 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2019–20 to 2023–24.

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Conference League, as noted below:

  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
  • (UEL) – Additional/vacated teams transferred from/to the UEFA Europa League

The following is the access list for this season.

Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions LeagueTeams transferred from Europa League
8 domestic cup winners from associations 48–55
20 domestic league runners-up from associations 34–55 (except Liechtenstein and Republic of Ireland)
20 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 30–50 (except Liechtenstein)
12 teams eliminated from Champions League first qualifying round
12 domestic cup winners from associations 35–47 (except Republic of Ireland)
18 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–33 (except Russia) and association 35
16 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 13–29 (except Russia and Slovakia)
9 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–15
1 domestic league fifth-placed team from association 624 winners from the first qualifying round8 teams eliminated from Europa League first qualifying round
6 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)2 teams eliminated from Champions League first qualifying round
44 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path)8 teams eliminated from Europa League second qualifying round
4 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)6 teams eliminated from Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path)
5 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–5 (EFL Cup winners for England)26 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path)7 teams eliminated from Europa League third qualifying round (League Path)
5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
19 winners from the play-off round (League Path)12 teams eliminated from Europa League play-off round
16 teams ranked 9–24 from the league phase
8 teams ranked 1–8 from the league phase
8 winners from the knockout phase play-offs

The information here reflects the ongoing suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list were made:

  • The cup winners of associations 39 to 44 (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg and Lithuania) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
  • As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there was one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) so one transferred team received a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).

As the Champions League title holders (Paris Saint-Germain) qualified for the Champions League via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list were made:

  • As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there was one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round (two fewer in total) transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path), so one transferred team (two in total) received a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).

As the Conference League title holders (Chelsea) qualified for the Champions League phase via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list were made:

  • The cup winners of association 34 (Finland) entered the Europa League first qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of associations 45 (Malta) and 46 (Georgia) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • CW: Domestic cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position of the previous season
  • LC: League cup winners
  • RW: Regular season winners
  • PW: End-of-season Conference League play-offs winners
  • CL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
  • EL: Transferred from the Europa League
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • CH/MP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/Main Path)
    • Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round
    • Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).

Entry roundTeams
Samsunspor (EL PO)Sigma Olomouc (EL PO)Aberdeen (EL PO)Dynamo Kyiv (EL PO)
Rijeka (EL PO)Lech Poznań (EL PO)AEK Larnaca (EL PO)Slovan Bratislava (EL PO)
KuPS (EL PO)Zrinjski Mostar (EL PO)Shkëndija (EL PO)Lincoln Red Imps (EL PO)
Drita (EL CH Q3)Shelbourne (EL CH Q3)Noah (EL CH Q3)RFS (EL CH Q3)
Breiðablik (EL CH Q3)Hamrun Spartans (EL CH Q3)
Crystal Palace (CW)Fiorentina (6th)Rayo Vallecano (8th)Mainz 05 (6th)
Strasbourg (7th)Servette (EL MP Q3)Wolfsberger AC (EL MP Q3)Fredrikstad (EL MP Q3)
Shakhtar Donetsk (EL MP Q3)Legia Warsaw (EL MP Q3)BK Häcken (EL MP Q3)CFR Cluj (EL MP Q3)
Víkingur Gøta (CL Q1)Virtus (CL Q1)
Anderlecht (EL Q2)Beşiktaş (EL Q2)Baník Ostrava (EL Q2)Hibernian (EL Q2)
Lugano (EL Q2)Levski Sofia (EL Q2)Celje (EL Q2)Sheriff Tiraspol (EL Q2)
Olimpija Ljubljana (CL Q1)Milsami Orhei (CL Q1)Linfield (CL Q1)Differdange 03 (CL Q1)
Žalgiris (CL Q1)Iberia 1999 (CL Q1)Egnatia (CL Q1)FCI Levadia (CL Q1)
Dinamo Minsk (CL Q1)Inter Club d'Escaldes (CL Q1)The New Saints (CL Q1)Budućnost Podgorica (CL Q1)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (EL Q1)Partizan (EL Q1)Paks (EL Q1)Sabah (EL Q1)
Spartak Trnava (EL Q1)Prishtina (EL Q1)Aktobe (EL Q1)Ilves (EL Q1)
AZ (PW)Santa Clara (5th)Charleroi (PW)İstanbul Başakşehir (5th)
Sparta Prague (4th)Dundee United (4th)Lausanne-Sport (5th)Austria Wien (3rd)
Rapid Wien (PW)Viking (3rd)Rosenborg (4th)AEK Athens (4th)
Aris (5th)Brøndby (3rd)Silkeborg (PW)Maccabi Haifa (3rd)
Beitar Jerusalem (4th)Oleksandriya (2nd)Polissya Zhytomyr (4th)Novi Pazar (3rd)
Radnički 1923 (5th)Hajduk Split (3rd)Varaždin (4th)Raków Częstochowa (2nd)
Jagiellonia Białystok (3rd)Aris Limassol (2nd)Omonia (3rd)Puskás Akadémia (2nd)
Győri ETO (4th)Hammarby IF (2nd)AIK (3rd)Universitatea Craiova (3rd)
Universitatea Cluj (4th)Cherno More (3rd)Arda (PW)Zira (2nd)
Araz-Naxçıvan (3rd)Žilina (2nd)Košice (5th)Maribor (2nd)
Zimbru Chișinău (3rd)Ballkani (2nd)Astana (2nd)Shamrock Rovers (2nd)
Ararat-Armenia (2nd)Riga (2nd)HB (CW)Sarajevo (CW)
Vaduz (CW)KA (CW)Dungannon Swifts (CW)UNA Strassen (2nd)
Banga (CW)Hibernians (CW)Spaeri (CW)Dinamo City (CW)
Koper (3rd)Petrocub Hîncești (4th)Malisheva (3rd)Ordabasy (4th)
HJK (3rd)SJK (PW)St Patrick's Athletic (3rd)Urartu (3rd)
Pyunik (4th)Auda (3rd)Daugavpils (5th)KÍ (2nd)
NSÍ (4th)Borac Banja Luka (2nd)Željezničar (4th)Víkingur Reykjavík (2nd)
Valur (3rd)Larne (2nd)Cliftonville (PW)F91 Dudelange (3rd)
Racing Union (4th)Hegelmann (2nd)Kauno Žalgiris (3rd)Birkirkara (2nd)
Floriana (3rd)Torpedo Kutaisi (2nd)Dila Gori (3rd)Vllaznia (2nd)
Partizani (3rd)Nõmme Kalju (CW)Paide Linnameeskond (3rd)Flora (4th)
Neman Grodno (CW)Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (3rd)Dynamo Brest (4th)Vardar (CW)
Sileks (2nd)Rabotnicki (3rd)Atlètic Club d'Escaldes (2nd)FC Santa Coloma (3rd)
Penybont (2nd)Haverfordwest County (PW)Dečić (CW)Sutjeska (3rd)
Magpies (CW)St Joseph's (2nd)La Fiorita (PW)Tre Fiori (3rd)

Two teams not playing in a national top division took part in the competition: Vaduz (2nd tier) and Spaeri (2nd tier).

Notes

The schedule of the competition is as follows. Matches are scheduled for Thursdays, with an exclusive day of 18 December, apart from the final, which takes place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally can take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round17 June 202510 July 202517 July 2025
Second qualifying round18 June 202524 July 202531 July 2025
Third qualifying round21 July 20257 August 202514 August 2025
Play-offsPlay-off round4 August 202521 August 202528 August 2025
League phaseMatchday 129 August 20252 October 2025
Matchday 223 October 2025
Matchday 36 November 2025
Matchday 427 November 2025
Matchday 511 December 2025
Matchday 618 December 2025
Knockout phaseKnockout phase play-offs16 January 202619 February 202626 February 2026
Round of 1627 February 202612 March 202619 March 2026
Quarter-finals—.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap}N/a9 April 202616 April 2026
Semi-finals30 April 20267 May 2026
Final27 May 2026 at Red Bull Arena, Leipzig

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025. The first legs were played on 8 and 10 July, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the second qualifying round.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
NSÍ4–5HJK4–00–5 (a.e.t.)
Torpedo Kutaisi5–4Ordabasy4–31–1
Željezničar2–4Koper1–11–3
SJK1–41–20–2
Nõmme Kalju2–1Partizani1–11–0 (a.e.t.)
Tre Fiori1–5Pyunik1–00–5
St Patrick's Athletic3–0Hegelmann1–02–0
Dečić3–2Sileks2–01–2
Sutjeska3–2Dynamo Brest1–22–0
Larne2–2 (4–2 p)Auda0–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Floriana5–3Haverfordwest County2–13–2
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino4–0Rabotnicki3–01–0
Magpies3–7Paide Linnameeskond2–31–4
Birkirkara1–3Petrocub Hîncești1–00–3
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes5–2F91 Dudelange2–03–2
Valur5–1Flora3–02–1
Malisheva0–9Víkingur Reykjavík0–10–8
Racing Union1–3Dila Gori1–20–1
Vllaznia4–3Daugavpils0–14–2
Urartu1–6Neman Grodno1–20–4
Vardar5–2La Fiorita3–02–2
Kauno Žalgiris4–1Penybont3–01–1
St Joseph's5–4Cliftonville2–23–2 (a.e.t.)
Borac Banja Luka3–4FC Santa Coloma1–42–0

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025. The first legs were played on 22, 23 and 24 July, and the second legs were played on 29 and 31 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round.

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 21 July 2025. The first legs were played on 5 and 7 August, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 August 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Olimpija Ljubljana4–2Egnatia0–04–2 (a.e.t.)
Milsami Orhei3–5Virtus3–20–3
Differdange 035–4FCI Levadia2–33–1 (a.e.t.)
Víkingur Gøta2–3Linfield2–10–2
Main Path
Rapid Wien4–4 (5–4 p)Dundee United2–22–2 (a.e.t.)
Sparta Prague6–2Ararat-Armenia4–12–1
AZ4–0Vaduz3–01–0
Lugano4–7Celje0–54–2
2–2 (4–5 p)Neman Grodno2–00–2 (a.e.t.)
Riga4–3Beitar Jerusalem3–01–3
Víkingur Reykjavík3–4Brøndby3–00–4
Hajduk Split3–4Dinamo City2–11–3 (a.e.t.)
Anderlecht4–1Sheriff Tiraspol3–01–1
Lausanne-Sport5–1Astana3–12–0
Larne0–3Santa Clara0–30–0
Aris Limassol3–5AEK Athens2–21–3 (a.e.t.)
Viking2–4İstanbul Başakşehir1–31–1
Araz-Naxçıvan0–9Omonia0–40–5
Ballkani1–4Shamrock Rovers1–00–4
Raków Częstochowa2–1Maccabi Haifa0–12–0
AIK2–3Győri ETO2–10–2
Universitatea Craiova6–4Spartak Trnava3–03–4 (a.e.t.)
Polissya Zhytomyr4–2Paks3–01–2
Levski Sofia3–0Sabah1–02–0
Silkeborg2–3Jagiellonia Białystok0–12–2
Partizan3–4Hibernian0–23–2 (a.e.t.)
Baník Ostrava5–4Austria Wien4–31–1
Rosenborg1–0Hammarby IF0–01–0
St Patrick's Athletic3–7Beşiktaş1–42–3
Kauno Žalgiris0–3Arda0–10–2

The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2025. The first legs were played on 21 August, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 August 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Hamrun Spartans3–2RFS1–02–2
Shelbourne5–1Linfield3–12–0
Breiðablik5–2Virtus2–13–1
Drita3–1Differdange 032–11–0
Olimpija Ljubljana3–7Noah1–42–3
Main Path
Strasbourg3–2Brøndby0–03–2
Jagiellonia Białystok4–1Dinamo City3–01–1
Shakhtar Donetsk3–2Servette1–12–1 (a.e.t.)
Anderlecht1–3AEK Athens1–10–2
İstanbul Başakşehir2–5Universitatea Craiova1–21–3
Crystal Palace1–0Fredrikstad1–00–0
Celje3–0Baník Ostrava1–02–0
Raków Częstochowa3–1Arda1–02–1
Hibernian4–5Legia Warsaw1–23–3 (a.e.t.)
Levski Sofia1–6AZ0–21–4
Polissya Zhytomyr2–6Fiorentina0–32–3
Győri ETO2–3Rapid Wien2–10–2
Neman Grodno0–5Rayo Vallecano0–10–4
Lausanne-Sport2–1Beşiktaş1–11–0
Santa Clara1–2Shamrock Rovers1–20–0
Rosenborg3–5Mainz 052–11–4
Sparta Prague2–1Riga2–00–1
BK Häcken7–3CFR Cluj7–20–1
Wolfsberger AC2–2 (4–5 p)Omonia2–10–1 (a.e.t.)

The Conference League league phase comprised the 24 winners of the Conference League play-off round, as well as 12 losers of the Europa League play-off round.

The league phase draw for the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 29 August 2025. The 36 teams were divided into six pots of six teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient.

The draw ceremony was held along with the league phase draw for the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League, as a change from the previous season. In the previous season's draw the 36 teams were manually drawn one at a time; this season's draw was entirely computer generated with all 36 teams' opponents and home/away locations drawn at once, but revealed pot by pot. Each team faced one opponent from each of the six pots, with one home and one away match from each pot pair of Pots 1 and 2, Pots 3 and 4, and Pots 5 and 6. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association.

Crystal Palace, Drita, Hamrun Spartans, KuPS, Rayo Vallecano, Samsunspor, Shelbourne, Shkëndija, Sigma Olomouc and Universitatea Craiova made their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase. Hamrun Spartans were the first team from Malta to play in a major UEFA competition group stage or league phase.

A total of 29 national associations were represented in the league phase. Poland were the first country to have four clubs play in the Conference League group stage/league phase, and it was also the first time in history that four Polish clubs competed in any edition of a UEFA competition group stage or league phase.

The top eight ranked teams received a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th contested the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th were eliminated from European competition.

In the knockout phase, teams will play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The bracket structure for the knockout phase is partially fixed in advance using seeding, with teams' positions in the bracket determined by the final standings in the league phase. In the knockout phase, there is no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams can also face opponents they played during the league phase.

The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 were seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 were unseeded. The draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 were seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs were unseeded. Again, the draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.

In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, both the exact match pairings and order of legs were predetermined based on the tournament bracket. The higher-seeded teams, assuming they advance, will play the second leg of each round at home. Should a seeded team be beaten, the team that eliminates them will assume their seeding position. The winner of semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).

The draw for the knockout phase play-offs was held on 16 January 2026, 13:00 CET. The first legs were played on 19 February, and the second legs were played on 26 February 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
KuPS0–3Lech Poznań0–20–1
Noah1–4AZ1–00–4
Zrinjski Mostar1–3Crystal Palace1–10–2
Jagiellonia Białystok4–5Fiorentina0–34–2 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija0–5Samsunspor0–10–4
Drita4–6Celje2–32–3
Sigma Olomouc3–2Lausanne-Sport1–12–1
Omonia1–4Rijeka0–11–3

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 27 February 2026, 14:00 CET. The first legs were played on 12 March, and the second legs were played on 19 March 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Lech Poznań3–4Shakhtar Donetsk1–32–1
AZ6–1Sparta Prague2–14–0
Crystal Palace2–1AEK Larnaca0–02–1 (a.e.t.)
Fiorentina4–2Raków Częstochowa2–12–1
Samsunspor2–3Rayo Vallecano1–31–0
Celje2–4AEK Athens0–42–0
Sigma Olomouc0–2Mainz 050–00–2
Rijeka2–3Strasbourg1–21–1

The first legs were played on 9 April, and the second legs will be played on 16 April 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Shakhtar Donetsk1AZ3–016 Apr
Crystal Palace2Fiorentina3–016 Apr
Rayo Vallecano3AEK Athens3–016 Apr
Mainz 054Strasbourg2–016 Apr

The first legs will be played on 30 April, and the second legs will be played on 7 May 2026.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner QF11Winner QF230 Apr7 May
Winner QF32Winner QF430 Apr7 May

The final will be played on 27 May 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. The winner of semi-final 1 was designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Table correct as of 9 April 2026.

RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1Mikael IshakLech Poznań8742
Marius MouandilmadjiSamsunspor821
3Sven MijnansAZ6909
4Franko KovačevićCelje5482
Nardin MulahusejnovićNoah601
Ismaïla SarrCrystal Palace743
Toni FrukRijeka849
8Isak JensenAZ4529
Martial GodoStrasbourg568
Daniel Adu-AdjeiRijeka605
Aboubakary KoïtaAEK Athens636
  • 2025–26 UEFA Champions League

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  • 2025–26 UEFA Women's Europa Cup

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