Champions League Playoff Round Preview

After six weeks of qualifying round action in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, the playoff round is here. Ten teams from the previous stage join four direct entrants with the goal of claiming one of the last seven league phase places.

UEFA Coeffiicents 26/27: Qualifying Week 6

With millions of euros on the line for all 14 clubs involved, as well as some welcomed UEFA coefficient points, the next two Tuesdays and Wednesdays are set to be highly intense. Here is a preview of the playoff round ties in this season's competitions.

Domestic Champions Close to Jackpot

All four teams who automatically made the playoff round are from the domestic champions path. One of the ties sees a pair of direct qualifiers as Celtic face LASK Linz. This is the fifth different Austrian opponent the Hoops will have faced in Europe, and a fourth time they have encountered one in a two-legged tie. Overall, their record sits at 3-3-7, having won their last game in the Europa League last term.

LASK, who won the Bundesliga crown for the first time in 61 years last season, are 1-1-2 against Scottish opposition. Their most recent encounter came in 2021/22, when they got past St. Johnstone at this stage of the UEFA Conference League. Should they successfully negotiate this stage, they would become the fifth different Austrian representative to reach the UCL proper, 13 years after Austria Wien made their debut.

Levski Sofia and AEK Athens face off in what is the only tie in the champions path - and one of two overall - to feature two teams who have gotten past this stage before. For Bulgaria's Levski, it has been 20 years since they their first and only showing in the main rounds. They are one of two sides left to go the distance in qualifying as they hope to match Kairat Almaty's feat from last term. Ironically, that was the team they ousted last time out.

AEK are looking to end an eight-year wait to join Europe's elite in the group phase. Dikéfalos have never made it to the knockout rounds in any of their five appearances. They lost out in this round three years ago versus Antwerp, suffering defeat in both legs. Their last meeting with a Bulgarian side came in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup, where they got past Litex Lovech in the third round.

Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb, who are no strangers to getting this far, face Viking, who are among the clubs looking to make a UCL group stage/league phase debut. A third voyage into the competition in five years - a 10th overall - is on the line for Dinamo, who despite all their relative regularity over the last 15, have never made it the knockout stage. Should they succeed, Purgeri could be one of three sides to get through qualifying in the league phase era on multiple occasions.

Viking could help complete a rare feat by getting past this round. Last year's Norwegian champions are among the sides to have never play group phase football. Should they do so, it would mark the second year in a row where a Norwegian team would enter the competition proper for the first time - both via the playoff round. The club's only other occasion of playing group football in Europe came 21 years ago in the UEFA Cup.

Slovan Bratislava are back in the UCL playoff round and take on Celje in their final hurdle. One of four Slovak sides to participate in the Champions League group phase, the former UEFA Cup Winners Cup winners could become the first from their nation to get to that stage of the competition on multiple occasions. Regardless of what happens, it will be the sixth year running that Slovan will enjoy European football in the fall.

UEFA Conference League 2026/27: Third Qualifying Round Preview

Celje's rise has been quite impressive. Knockout round participants in the UEFA Conference League in 2024/25 and again a year later, Rumeno-modri will make the step up this autumn. It will be a tough task for the Slovenians, who would become the second side from their nation to successfully negotiate the qualifying rounds. Celje lost to Slovan two years ago in the second qualifying round 6-1 on aggregate.

Tie of the Round: Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs Sabah Baku

For the tie of the round, we go with the only clash to guarantee a new UCL entrant. That will be between Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Sabah Baku, the latter getting here from the first qualifying round.

It has been four years since Israel have been represented in a Champions League group phase, and now The Camels are on the cusp of changing that. Having kept clean sheets in all three of their wins this summer, Be'er Sheva are making their third appearance at this point of UCL qualifying. They have a 2-0-2 record in this round, but fell to Celtic and Maribor in consecutive years.

They will face a Sabah team who have had a highly successful run this summer in their first crack of UCL football. Domestic double winners in Azerbaijan last term, they are aiming to ensure a side from their nation makes the league phase for the second year in a row. This is the second occasion where Bayquşlar will take on an Israeli team, having knocked out Maccabi Haifa in the Conference League on penalties back in 2024/25.

Fener Aim to End Lengthy Streak

The non-champions path's standout tie of the two will be between Olympique Lyonnais and Fenerbahçe. After missing out on the competition in the last six campaigns, Lyon are nearing a return. Semifinalists in 2019/20, l'OL have endured their longest stretch without UCL football since making their debut in 2000/01. The positive thing for them is they own a 4-1-0 record against their opponents, though their sole draw came in the last meeting.

After nine failed attempts and 18 years since they last graced the main rounds of Europe's premier club competition, Fener are looking to finally end this run. They may have wanted a different opponent though: not only have Sarı-Lacivertliler lost 12 times against French sides - only one less than their 13 versus English clubs - they have conceded 52 times. In fact, no team have more wins in Europe against the İstanbul-based side than Lyon.

The other non-champions path clash sees Bodø/Glimt battle NEC Nijmegen. Of the eight matches Bodø have played versus Dutch teams, six of them have come in two-legged ties. Superlaget have come out on top in two of those three ties, including their most recent one in the Europa League. Having made the round of 16 in their debut campaign, they would be the first side since Atalanta in 2020/21 to return to the UCL proper the year after making their debut.

UEFA Champions League 2026/27: Third Qualifying Round Preview

Netherlands have not seen a first-time UCL entrant since 2010/11, when Twente did so. NEC could become the latest side to be in the league phase draw after eliminating Olympiakos Pireaus in the third qualifying round. Should they advance, they would be the third Dutch team to make the Champions League proper in their competition debut.