UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026/2027 Preview: Fixtures, Teams & Key Matchups

The UEFA Conference League qualification process is part of a fairly modern football competition that has been conducted since 2021, however it has already taken its rightful place in the European football calendar. Positioned as the third tier competition behind the Champions League and the Europa League, it is mainly contested by the lower ranking European football clubs.

After the rebranding in the 2024/2025 season, the initial group stage was replaced by a league stage. However, unlike the Champions League and Europa League, no team can directly qualify for the league stage. Instead, clubs can enter it in one of two ways: either if they were eliminated from the Europa League or Champions League corresponding qualifying rounds (also known as the Champions Path) or if they advanced through the Conference League qualifying rounds and play-offs (also known as the Main Path). 

Understandably, the majority of teams entering the Conference League league phase qualify through the Main Path. To be eligible for the qualification phase, clubs have to either win a domestic cup (this mainly applies to low ranking associations) or be placed in the higher positions of their domestic league. 

UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026/2027 Fixtures and Schedule

The UEFA Conference League qualification consists of three qualifying and one play-off round. In each round, every club plays against one rival they got in the draw. The winner is determined on the aggregated score of two legs. If this ends up being a tie, teams will play extra time and, if necessary, penalties. The eventual winner will advance to the next round. 

In the qualifying rounds, each match is played in two legs, with each team playing one match at home and one match away. The overall schedule for the UEFA Conference League 2026/2027 qualifications rounds is as follows:

First legs of two matches of the first qualifying round have already been played with the following results:

• Match 9: Elbasani (Albania) 1 – 1 BATE Borisov (Belarus); second leg on 16 July
• Match 25: UNA Strassen (Luxembourg) 1 – 0 La Fiorita (San Marino); second leg on 14 July

The full schedule for the first qualifying round is below:

Format of the Qualification

The first qualifying round is fully composed of clubs entering the competition through the Main Path. Starting from the second qualifying round onwards, teams eligible through the Champions Path are joining the competition. 

For the 2026/2027 qualification, the following number of clubs will be entering the competition at each stage:

• First qualifying round: 52 teams (only Main Path contenders)
• Second qualifying round: 98 teams, including 86 Main Path teams and 12 Champions Path teams
• Third qualifying round: 60 teams, including 52 Main Path teams and 8 Champions Path teams
• Play-offs: 48 teams, including 38 Main Path teams and 10 Champions Path teams  

Out of the 48 teams entering the play-off, 24 winners will advance to the league phase, where they will be joined by 12 teams qualifying through losing the Europa League play-off round, for a total of 36 teams to contest for the UEFA Conference League 2026/2027 champion title and advancement to the next season’s UEFA Europa League.

Before the draw, teams entering each stage are seeded based on their UEFA coefficient or, in some cases, their association’s coefficient, if they don’t hold a strong enough coefficient of their own. Seeded (high coefficient) clubs are then drawn against unseeded (low coefficient) clubs.

Below you will find a table reflecting how each team entering the first two qualifying rounds got a pass.

Key Dates and Schedule

While the draw for the clubs playing the second qualifying round through the Main Path was completed on 17 June, not all teams to play have been identified yet. The schedule currently includes the names that will enter the second qualifying round directly. Clubs that will advance from the first qualifying round will be known after they complete both legs, i.e. after 16 July.

Teams entering through the Champions Path after dropping down from the Champions League qualifying phase and play-offs or Europa League qualifying phase and play-offs will be announced after their respective matches in the upper leagues. 

Most matches of the first leg of the second qualifying round are scheduled to be played on 23 July, with only one to be held on 21 July (match 11). The second leg will take place on 30 July.

The draw for the third qualifying round is scheduled to be conducted on 20 July, with the first and the second leg taking place on 6 and 13 August respectively. 

The draw for the play-off round will take place before the start of the third qualifying round, namely on 3 August. The matches will be played on 20 August (first leg) and 27 August (second leg). 

The Europa League drop-outs will be entering each round in the following order:

• First round: no teams
• Second round: 6 losers of the Europa League Main Path first qualifying round
• Third round: 9 losers of the Europa League Main Path second qualifying round
• Play-off round: 7 losers of the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round

Notable Teams and Matchups

One of the points of interest Conference League qualification offers the audience is the opportunity to watch games of smaller clubs they don’t follow on a regular basis. Another big advantage is the variety in skill and prominence the participating clubs display that adds to the spectacle and the unpredictability factor.

For this season, some of the higher ranking clubs to enter the competition have already been identified, others are awaiting results of corresponding matches. The full list will be known after all match results are made public. 

• Entering in play-off round: Atalanta (Italy), SC Freiburg (Germany), Monaco (France), Brighton & Hove Albion (England), Getafe (Spain)
• Possibly entering in the second qualifying round: Ararat-Armenia (Armenia), Iberia 1999 (Georgia), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland), KuPS (Finland)

When it comes to fixtures, you won’t have a shortage of selection either. Whether it is new faces challenging the veterans, regional square-offs, or teams trying to progress further up the ladder than they have in previous editions, you will find all of this in every round.

Some of the most interesting fixtures to watch during the first qualifying round include:

• Atlètic Club d’Escaldes (Andorra) vs Mornar (Montenegro) 
• Hegelmann (Lithuania) vs Paide Linnameeskond (Estonia)
• FCI Levadia (Estonia) vs Caernarfon Town (Wales)
• Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) vs Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg)
• Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) vs Sileks (North Macedonia)
• Astana (Kazakhstan) vs Dinamo City (Albania)
• Pyunik (Armenia) vs Marsaxlokk (Malta)

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