Champions League 2025-26: the 36 teams set for the league phase in pursuit of glory in Munich

Thirty six teams, one shared goal: reaching Munich in May 2026 with the trophy in hand. UEFA has now finalized the list of clubs set to take part in the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League, the format that has each team facing a partial round robin and that is here to stay after debuting last season.

Once again, England and Spain dominate the competitive picture. England contributes five clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United. Spain matches that number with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Betis, Real Madrid and Villarreal, the latter returning to Europe's top competition after a standout domestic campaign.

Germany also arrives with five clubs: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart round out the German contingent. Italy matches that figure with Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma and Como, the latter enjoying a historic moment as it makes its league phase debut just a few seasons removed from playing in Italy's lower divisions.

France, the Netherlands and the less common berths

France will be represented by Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Lille, with the Paris side arriving as reigning European champion after claiming its first Champions League title in last season's final. Portugal sends Porto and Sporting Lisbon, while the Netherlands adds PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

Turkey will have double representation with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, two fierce rivals of Turkish football who will now share the same league phase. Norway, meanwhile, celebrates the qualification of Bodø/Glimt and Viking, a sign of Scandinavian football's recent growth on the European stage.

The rest of the field is made up of clubs representing a single league apiece: Club Brugge (Belgium), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), LASK (Austria), Sabah (Azerbaijan), AEK Athens (Greece) and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia). Several of these clubs got here after grinding through qualifying rounds, a far more demanding road than the direct entry enjoyed by the major powers.

The single league format, which replaced the traditional group stage, will once again require every club to play eight matches against different opponents before it's determined who advances straight to the round of 16 and who must fight for a spot in a playoff round. With this mix of historic powers, reigning champions and clubs enjoying their own particular moment of glory, the new edition promises a packed schedule right from matchday one.