How Teams Qualify for the Champions League

The 36 clubs in the Champions League league phase reach it through a mix of automatic domestic places and summer qualifying rounds. Here is how the field is built.

Domestic league places

Most places go to clubs based on where they finish in their domestic league. How many automatic places each country gets depends on its UEFA association coefficient — a rolling five-year measure of that country's clubs in Europe. The strongest leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany) receive up to four automatic league-phase places, while smaller associations receive fewer, or none, and must qualify.

Champions Path and League Path

Clubs that do not qualify automatically enter qualifying rounds over the summer, split into a Champions Path (for domestic title winners of lower-ranked associations) and a League Path (for high-placed clubs from stronger associations). This keeps more national champions in the competition.

The European Performance Spots

Under the current format, the two associations whose clubs performed best across all UEFA competitions the previous season each earn one extra Champions League place — the "European Performance Spots". The reigning Champions League and Europa League winners also qualify automatically.

Once this settles, the 36 clubs are seeded into four pots and drawn into the league phase. Explore every club in the 2026/27 simulator, or read how the Swiss league phase then plays out.