UEFA Conference League: Everything you need to know about remaining teams, draws, and key dates
UEFA Conference League 2025/26: Everything You Need to Know
The 2025/26 UEFA Conference League is in full swing, with the League Phase now complete. Here’s a complete guide to which teams are still in the competition, upcoming draws, and all the key dates for the season.
Conference League Draws & Where to Watch
The League Phase draw took place on August 29th in Monaco, following the Europa League draw. A total of 36 teams were seeded into six pots of six based on UEFA club coefficients.
Unlike last season’s manual draw, this year’s draw was fully computer-generated, with all opponents and home/away fixtures determined at once but revealed pot by pot.
- Each team played one opponent from each of the six pots.
- One match from each pot pair was at home, one away (Pots 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6).
- Teams could not face opponents from their own association more than twice.
The next draw is on January 16th, 2026, for the knockout playoffs, which involve teams finishing 9th–24th in the League Phase.
The draw for the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and Final will take place on February 27th, 2026. All draws can be watched live on UEFA.com.
Teams Still in the 2025/26 Conference League
Top Eight (automatic Round of 16 qualification):
- Strasbourg (FRA)
- Rakow (POL)
- AEK Athens (GRE)
- Sparta Prague (CZE)
- Rayo Vallecano (ESP)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
- Mainz (GER)
- AEK Larnaca (CYP)
Ninth to 24th (knockout playoff round):
9. Lausanne (SUI)
10. Crystal Palace (ENG)
11. Lech Poznan (POL)
12. Samsunspor (TUR)
13. Celje (SLO)
14. AZ (NED)
15. Fiorentina (ITA)
16. Rijeka (CRO)
17. Jagiellonia (POL)
18. Omonia (CYP)
19. Noah (ARM)
20. Drita (KOS)
21. KuPS (FIN)
22. Shkendija (MKD)
23. Zrinjski (BIH)
24. Sigma Olomouc (CZE)
Full standings after the League Phase are available on UEFA.com.
Key Dates for 2025/26 UEFA Conference League
- League Phase first matchday: October 2, 2025
- League Phase last matchday: December 18, 2025
- Knockout playoff draw: January 16, 2026
- Knockout playoffs: February 19 & 26, 2026
- Final draw (Round of 16 onward): February 27, 2026
- Round of 16: March 12 & 19, 2026
- Quarter-finals: April 9 & 16, 2026
- Semi-finals: April 30 & May 7, 2026
- Final: May 27, 2026
Conference League Final 2026
The final will be held at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. With a capacity of 47,800, it is the largest stadium in Eastern Germany. For UEFA matches, it will be referred to as the RB Arena due to sponsorship rules.
The winners will qualify for the 2026/27 Europa League League Phase, unless they have already secured a Champions League spot.
UEFA Conference League Format Explained
The 2025/26 season continues the new UEFA cup competition format:
- The 36-team League Phase replaced the old group pool system.
- Each team plays six matches in the League Phase.
- Top 8 teams automatically advance to the Round of 16.
- Teams finishing 9th–24th enter a knockout playoff to compete for the remaining eight Round of 16 spots.
From the Round of 16 onward:
- The top eight are seeded against the unseeded playoff winners.
- Quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final proceed as standard knockout fixtures.
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