The 2026/27 Champions League league phase is already halfway filled, with 18 of the 36 participating clubs confirmed, including Portuguese champions FC Porto. Over the weekend’s domestic league fixtures, five more teams secured their spots: Lens, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, Feyenoord, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Lens sealed their place on Friday thanks to a goal from a Portuguese player in his debut, clinching a top-three finish in Ligue 1. On Saturday, Galatasaray won the Turkish Super Lig title to qualify, while RB Leipzig mathematically secured third place in the Bundesliga the same day. Sunday saw Feyenoord confirm second place in the Eredivisie, and Shakhtar Donetsk won the Ukrainian Premier League. However, Shakhtar enters the league phase not as the domestic champion but as the club with the best UEFA coefficient among the champions’ path qualifiers – effectively replacing the Champions League winner’s spot – because both finalists (PSG and Arsenal) are already qualified via their leagues.
Earlier in the week, Atlético Madrid became certain of their spot after Spain secured an extra berth, as the club is guaranteed a top-five finish in La Liga.
**What Remains to Be Decided**
Of the 27 spots allocated via national leagues (25 direct places plus two extra berths), ten are still up for grabs: two from England, three from Italy, one from Spain, one from Germany, one from France, one from Belgium, and one from the Czech Republic.
The winner of the Europa League also earns a spot. If SC Freiburg win the final against Aston Villa, they take that place. But if Villa wins, several scenarios unfold: if Villa finishes fourth in the Premier League, their Europa League victory would grant a direct spot to the best non-league-winning club in the qualifying rounds (which would be Benfica or Sporting CP). However, if Villa wins the Europa League and finishes fifth in the Premier League (currently tied on 59 points with fourth-placed Liverpool), they would qualify as European champions, and England’s extra berth would go to the sixth-placed team (currently Bournemouth with 55 points). The same applies if Villa finishes lower than fifth: they qualify via the Europa League, and the fifth-placed English side takes the extra spot.
The remaining seven spots will be decided through qualifying rounds held from July to August.
**Clubs Already Qualified for the 2026/27 Champions League League Phase:**
**England (3 of 5):** Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United
**Italy (1 of 4):** Inter Milan
**Spain (4 of 5):** Real Madrid, Barcelona, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid
**Germany (3 of 4):** Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig
**France (2 of 3):** Paris Saint-Germain, Lens
**Netherlands (2 of 2):** PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
**Portugal (1 of 1):** FC Porto
**Belgium (0 of 1):** TBD
**Czech Republic (0 of 1):** TBD
