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EFA Champions League 2025/26: Format, Schedule and Key Details

The draw for this season’s UEFA Champions League has handed us a challenging run of fixtures against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Olympiakos, Slavia Prague, Kairat Almaty, and Athletic Club.

While fixture dates for each opponent are yet to be confirmed, here’s a breakdown of how the tournament will be played and the important dates to note.

Tournament Format

The League Phase structure, introduced last season, remains in effect for 2025/26:
• Every team will play eight games against different opponents — four at home and four away.
• The top eight finishers qualify automatically for the round of 16.
• Teams placed 9th to 24th must battle it out in a two-legged play-off for a place in the last 16.
• Sides below 24th are eliminated.

In the 2024/25 campaign, we performed strongly, ending the league phase in third place with 19 points, winning six out of eight games and conceding only three goals.

Match Calendar

The league phase will unfold across eight matchdays:
• MD1: September 16–18, 2025
• MD2: September 30–October 1, 2025
• MD3: October 21–22, 2025
• MD4: November 4–5, 2025
• MD5: November 25–26, 2025
• MD6: December 9–10, 2025
• MD7: January 20–21, 2026
• MD8 (all clubs in action): January 28, 2026

Knockout Rounds
• Play-off Round (9th–24th place teams):
• Draw: January 30, 2026
• First leg: February 17–18, 2026
• Second leg: February 24–25, 2026
• Round of 16 (including play-off winners and top 8):
• Draw: February 27, 2026
• Matches: March 10–11 & March 17–18, 2026
• Quarter-finals: April 7–8 & April 14–15, 2026
• Semi-finals: April 28–29 & May 5–6, 2026
• Final: May 30, 2026 — Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary (the nation’s first time hosting a UCL final).

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