Every team qualified for UEFA Champions League 2025-26 as pots decided for League Phase

UEFA Champions League trophy (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Champions League qualification rounds are underway with relative minnows and comparative giants battling it out for a spot in the league phase of Europe's premium club competition.

Twenty-nine teams have already booked their place in this season's edition, including six from England, due to Premier League clubs' performance against the UEFA co-efficient and Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League victory last term gaining them entry despite finishing 17th.

Seven more teams will join them in the league phase, via the qualification play-off route, which could include the likes of Scottish heavyweights Celtic and Rangers, the latter of which's Ibrox home ranked No. 1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best stadiums in Britain.

How does the new-look UEFA Champions League work?

PSG captain Marquinhos hoists the Champions League trophy aloft (Image credit: Getty Images)

In the league stage, the 36 qualified teams each contest eight fixtures, four home and four away, against a range of teams from Pot 1 to Pot 4. These pots will be decided on the basis of each team's recent performance in UEFA club competitions, except for holders Paris Saint-Germain, who are automatically placed in Pot 1.

Each team faces two opponents from each of the four pots, although they cannot play teams from the same country and cannot be drawn against more than two teams from the same nation.

Here is a breakdown of each team in the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League.

AFC Ajax

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Eredivisie runners-up 2024-25
Best finish: Winners (1971, 1972, 1973, 1995)
Key Player(s): Oscar Gloukh, Mika Godts

Arsenal

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 2nd place in Premier League
Best finish: Runners-up (2006)
Key Player(s): Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba

Atalanta

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 3rd in Serie A
Best finish: Quarter-final (2020)
Key Player(s): Ademola Lookman, Marten de Roon

Athletic Club

Pot: 4
Qualified through: 4th in LaLiga
Best finish: Quarter-final (1957)
Key Player(s): Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams

Atletico Madrid

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 3rd in LaLiga
Best finish: Runners-up (1974, 2014, 2016)
Key Player(s): Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sørloth, Marcos Llorente

Bodø/Glimt

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Sturm Graz
Best finish: N/A
Key Player(s): Patrick Berg, Kasper Høgh, Jens Petter Hauge

Bodo/Glimt fans travel far and wide from within the Arctic Circle to support their team (Image credit: Getty)

Borussia Dortmund

Pot: 1
Qualified through: 4th in Bundesliga
Best finish: Winners (1997)
Key Player(s): Serhou Guirassy, Nico Schlotterbeck

Barcelona

Pot: 1
Qualified through: LaLiga champions
Best finish: Winners (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015)
Key Player(s): Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi

Spain prodigy Lamine Yamal (R) alongside Brazilian winger Raphinha (L) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Bayern Munich

Pot: 1
Qualified through: Bundesliga winners
Best finish: Winners (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020)
Key Player(s): Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich

Benfica

Pot: 2
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Fenerbahce
Best finish: Winners (1961, 1962)
Key Player(s): Franjo Ivanovic, Nicolas Otamendi

Chelsea

Pot: 1
Qualified through: 4th in Premier League
Best finish: Winners (2012, 2021)
Key Player(s): Cole Palmer

Read FourFourTwo's Chelsea Season Preview HERE

Club Brugge

Pot: 2
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Rangers
Best finish: Finalist (1978)
Key Player(s): Hans Vanaken, Christos Tzolis

FC Copenhagen

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Basel
Best finish: Round of 16 (2011, 2024)
Key Player(s): Viktor Claesson, Thomas Delaney

Eintracht Frankfurt

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 3rd in Bundesliga
Best finish: Runners-up (1960)
Key Player(s): Nathaniel Brown

Galatasaray

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Turkish Super Lig winners
Best finish: Semi-final (1989)
Key Player(s): Victor Osimhen

Inter Milan

Pot: 1
Qualified through: Serie A runners-up
Best finish: Winners (1964, 1965, 2010)
Key Player(s): Lautaro Martinez, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella

Federico Dimarco has a passionate word with Inter boss Simone Inzaghi during the 2025 Champions League final — Inter were defeated finalists last season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Juventus

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 4th in Serie A
Best finish: Winners (1985, 1996)
Key Player(s): Dusan Vlahovic, Andrea Cambiaso

Kairat Almaty

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Celtic
Best finish: N/A
Key Player(s): Temirlan Anarbekov, Jorginho, Dastan Satpaev

ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN - AUGUST 26: Kairat players and staff celebrate at full time during a UEFA Champions League Play-Off Secong Leg match between Kairat Almaty and Celtic at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion, on August 26, 2025, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images) — Kairat players and staff celebrate their maiden qualification to the Champions League proper (Image credit: Getty Images)

Bayer Leverkusen

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 2nd in Bundesliga
Best finish: Runners-up (2002)
Key Player(s): Edmond Tapsoba, Victor Boniface

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, wearing a dark blue coat, looks on during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 14 May, 2024 — Does ex-Man United boss Erik ten Hag have what it takes in the Champions League? (Image credit: Alamy)

Liverpool

Pot: 1
Qualified through: Premier League champions
Best finish: Winners (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019)
Key Player(s): Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk

Manchester City

Pot: 1
Qualified through: 3rd in Premier League
Best finish: Winners (2023)
Key Player(s): Erling Haaland, Rodri

Read FourFourTwo's Manchester City Season Preview HERE

Erling Haaland won the Champions League with Manchester City in 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Olympique de Marseille

Pot: 3
Qualified through: 2nd in Ligue 1
Best finish: Winners (1993)
Key Player(s): Leonardo Balerdi, Timothy Weah, Igor Paixao

Marseille are known for their enthusiastic fanbase (Image credit: Getty Images)

AS Monaco

Pot: 4
Qualified through: 3rd in Ligue 1
Best finish: Runners-up (2004)
Key Player(s): Eliesse Ben Seghir, Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Biereth

Maghnes Akliouche playing for Monaco (Image credit: Getty Images)

Napoli

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Serie A winners
Best finish: Quarter-final (2023)
Key Player(s): Scott McTominay, Amir Rrahmani, Kevin De Bruyne

Newcastle United

Pot: 4
Qualified through: 5th in Premier League
Best finish: Second group stage (2003)
Key Player(s): Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak

Newcastle fans unveil a tifo in honour of Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali (Image credit: Getty Images)

Olympiacos

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Greek Super League winners
Best finish: Quarter-final (1999)
Key Player(s): Ayoub El Kaabi, Gelson Martins

Pafos FC

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Red Star Belgrade
Best finish: N/A
Key Player(s): Jajá, Mislav Orsić

Pafos attacker Jaj&aacute; celebrates his goal against Red Star Belgrade with the club's fans — Pafos attacker Jajá celebrates his goal against Red Star Belgrade with the club's fans (Image credit: Getty Images)

Paris Saint-Germain

Pot: 1
Qualified through: Champions League holders
Best finish: Winners (2025)
Key Player(s): Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

PSG captain Marquinhos lifts the Champions League trophy aloft (Image credit: Getty Images)

PSV Eindhoven

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Eredivisie champions
Best finish: Winners (1988)
Key Player(s): Ivan Perisic, Joey Veerman

PSV goes into the lead after Ajax draws against Groningen, just in time after the game PSV - Heracles. PSV plays against Heracles at the Philips Stadion for the Eredivisie season 2024-2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on May 14, 2025 — PSV pip Ajax to the Dutch Eredivisie title (Image credit: Getty Images)

Qarabag FK

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Play-offs vs Ferencvaros
Best finish: Group stage
Key Player(s): Abdellah Zoubir, Leandro Andrade

A close-up of the Qarabag badge (Image credit: Getty Images)

Real Madrid

Pot: 1
Qualified through: Runners-up in LaLiga
Best finish: Winners (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024)
Key Player(s): Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde

Slavia Prague

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Czech First League champions
Best finish: Group stage (2008, 2020)
Key Player(s): Lukas Provod

Sporting CP

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Liga Portugal champions
Best finish: Quarter-final (1983)
Key Player(s): Morten Hjulmand, Ousmane Diomande, Geovany Quenda

Sporting Lisbon star Geovany Quenda — Sporting winger Geovany Quenda is one to watch (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur

Pot: 3
Qualified through: Europa League winners
Best finish: Runners-up (2019)
Key Player(s): Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

Pot: 4
Qualified through: Belgian Pro League champions
Best finish: N/A
Key Player(s): Promise David, Mohammed Fuseini

Canadian striker Promise David is one to watch in this season's competition for debutants Union Saint-Gilloise — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Villarreal

Pot: 2
Qualified through: 5th in LaLiga
Best finish: Semi-final (2006)
Key Player(s): Yeremy Pino

TOPICS

Joe joined FourFourTwo as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.