UEFA Conference League draws set summer qualifying road to league phase

The 2026/27 UEFA Conference League is underway, with UEFA completing the first and second qualifying round draws and setting the schedule for a summer of two-legged ties that will decide the field for the league phase. It is the sixth edition of the competition and the third played under UEFA’s revised league-phase format.

The structure leaves no shortcut into the main competition. All 36 league-phase places must be earned through qualifying, and every tie in the route is played home and away. That makes the early rounds crucial for clubs from smaller associations, who begin their campaign in the first qualifying round, while higher-ranked sides enter later because of their coefficient position.

The first qualifying round draw took place on 16 June, with fixtures scheduled for 9 and 16 July. That opening phase is built around 52 clubs in the main path, spread across Europe and tasked with surviving a short, unforgiving summer schedule. The second qualifying round draw followed on 17 June, with matches set for 23 and 30 July. UEFA confirmed that the second round includes 98 clubs or pairings across the champions path and main path.

The qualifying bracket now begins to take shape. The second-round draw produced several notable routes, including HNK RijekaTeam·Rijeka against the winner of the PFC CSKA SofiaTeam·PFC CSKA Sofia and Derry City tie, and İstanbul Başakşehir against the winner of FK SarajevoTeam·FK Sarajevo and FC InterTeam·Inter Turku. FC Lugano were paired with KF DukagjiniTeam·KF Dukagjini, while HJK HelsinkiTeam·HJK Helsinki drew Coleraine. Those ties matter because they determine which clubs can continue toward the final qualifying rounds and, ultimately, the league phase draw on 28 August.

AtalantaTeam·Atalanta, by contrast, will not appear until the play-off round. The club will learn its opponent on 3 August, when the final qualifying round draw is made. That later entry reflects the competition’s coefficient-based access list and leaves AtalantaTeam·Atalanta one tie away from the league phase once the play-offs begin in late August.

UEFA has already set the remaining calendar: the third qualifying round will be drawn on 20 July and played on 6 and 13 August, before the play-off round is staged on 20 and 27 August. Once those ties are settled, the full league-phase field will be confirmed and the competition proper can begin its autumn schedule.