Champions League 2025/26 final teams confirmed as Benfica, Brugge, Copenhagen, and Qarabağ complete the 36-club line-up ahead of the league phase draw
Champions League 2025/26 final teams have officially been confirmed following Wednesday’s high-stakes play-off second legs.
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Benfica, Club Brugge, Copenhagen, and Qarabağ secured the last remaining places in the expanded 36-team league phase, capping off a dramatic qualification round across Europe.
The full line-up is now set for Thursday’s much-anticipated UEFA Champions League draw, scheduled for 18:00 CET in Monaco.
Among the biggest stories of the week, Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan made history by reaching the group stage for the first time ever after edging Celtic in a tense penalty shootout.
Pafos FC of Cyprus and Norway’s Bodø/Glimt also booked their debut and second group-stage appearances respectively.
A single strike from Kerem Aktürkoğlu in the 35th minute at Estádio da Luz was enough to send the Portuguese side through.
Fenerbahçe nearly equalised when Youssef En-Nesyri’s header hit the bar, but Benfica stood firm, with former player Talisca seeing red late in the match.
In Baku, Qarabağ overturned an early scare to advance past Ferencváros.
Goals from Leandro Andrade and Abdellah Zoubir helped the hosts recover before surviving a fightback to clinch only their second Champions League berth.
Danish champions Copenhagen secured passage with a commanding 2-0 home win.
Andreas Cornelius scored just after the break before Youssoufa Moukoko buried a late penalty to seal it.
The most emphatic result came in Belgium, where Club Brugge obliterated Rangers 6-0 on the night.
Goals from Nicolò Tresoldi, Hans Vanaken, Joaquin Seys (2), Aleksandar Stanković, and Christos Tzolis completed a dominant performance.
- Ajax (NED)
- Arsenal (ENG)
- Atalanta (ITA)
- Athletic Club (ESP)
- Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
- Barcelona (ESP)
- Bayern München (GER)
- Benfica (POR)
- Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
- Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- Chelsea (ENG)
- Club Brugge (BEL)
- Copenhagen (DEN)
- Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
- Galatasaray (TUR)
- Inter Milan (ITA)
- Juventus (ITA)
- Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
- Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
- Liverpool (ENG)
- Manchester City (ENG)
- Marseille (FRA)
- Monaco (FRA)
- Napoli (ITA)
- Newcastle United (ENG)
- Olympiacos (GRE)
- Pafos FC (CYP)
- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
- PSV Eindhoven (NED)
- Qarabağ FK (AZE)
- Real Madrid (ESP)
- Slavia Praha (CZE)
- Sporting CP (POR)
- Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
- Union SG (BEL)
- Villarreal (ESP)
UEFA will conduct the league phase draw today using a software-assisted pairing system to assign each club eight unique opponents.
The full fixture schedule will be released by Friday, August 30.
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With the group set and four debutants joining the party, the Champions League 2025/26 final teams offer a blend of tradition and new contenders in what promises to be a thrilling reimagined competition.
Source: Read more at gazettengr.com
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
