Club Brugge, Benfica, Copenhagen seal final spots as 36-team UCL draw holds Thursday

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League league phase is officially set after Benfica, Club Brugge, Qarabağ and Copenhagen sealed the final four spots in Wednesday’s play-off second legs.

The quartet’s victories complete the expanded 36-team line-up, with the draw taking place on Thursday (today) at 18:00 CET in Monaco.

Kairat Almaty carved their names into football history on Tuesday night, booking a maiden UEFA Champions League group-stage berth after outlasting Celtic 3–2 on penalties in Almaty.

Norway’s Bodo/Glimt secured a group-stage place despite losing 2-1 at Sturm Graz, progressing 6-2 on aggregate after last week’s emphatic 5-0 home win.

In Cyprus, Pafos FC also celebrated a first-ever berth after edging Red Star Belgrade 3-2 on aggregate.

Benfica edge Fenerbahçe

At the Estádio da Luz, Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s 35th-minute strike sent Benfica through with a 1-0 aggregate win over Fenerbahçe. The Turkish side came close when Youssef En-Nesyri’s header struck the bar, but Benfica held firm as former Eagles forward Talisca was dismissed late on.

Qarabağ hold off Ferencváros

In Baku, Qarabağ secured only their second-ever Champions League appearance after surviving a late scare from Ferencváros. Goals from Leandro Andrade and Abdellah Zoubir overturned an early deficit before the visitors fought back through Barnabás Varga and Alex Tóth. The Azerbaijani champions ultimately prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.

Copenhagen too strong for Basel

Danish champions Copenhagen overcame Basel 2-0 (3-1 agg.), with Andreas Cornelius heading home just after half-time and Youssoufa Moukoko converting a late penalty. The hosts impressed throughout, with goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski producing key saves to keep another clean sheet.

Club Brugge crush Rangers

In Bruges, it was a rout. Club Brugge demolished Rangers 6-0 on the night (9-1 agg.), led by goals from Nicolò Tresoldi, Hans Vanaken, Joaquin Seys (2), Aleksandar Stanković and Christos Tzolis. The Belgian giants booked their eighth Champions League campaign in the last ten seasons.

Full 36-Team Line-Up

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), Frankfurt (GER), Galatasaray (TUR), Inter (ITA), Juventus (ITA), Kairat Almaty (KAZ), Leverkusen (GER), Liverpool (ENG), Man City (ENG), Marseille (FRA), Monaco (FRA), Napoli (ITA), Newcastle (ENG), Olympiacos (GRE), Pafos (CYP), Paris (FRA), PSV (NED), Qarabağ (AZE), Real Madrid (ESP), Slavia Praha (CZE), Sporting CP (POR), Tottenham (ENG), Union SG (BEL), Villarreal (ESP).

What’s next?

The league phase draw takes place today in Monaco at 18:00 CET, using UEFA’s software-assisted system to pair each club with eight unique opponents.

The fixture schedule will follow by Friday, 30 August.

With the line-up complete, Europe’s elite — and four fresh qualifiers — now await their fate in what promises to be a thrilling new chapter of the Champions League.