The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round wraps up Tuesday with 10 second-leg matches that will decide which teams advance to the playoff round, the final hurdle before the league phase.
Eight of the 10 ties are separated by one goal or level after the first leg, promising dramatic finishes across Europe. The winners will be joined by four teams that advanced directly to the playoff round, with the draw for the 36-team league phase scheduled for late August in Monaco.
All matches stream exclusively on Paramount+, with kickoff times in Eastern Time. The league phase itself begins in September, with each club playing eight midweek matches through the end of January 2027. The campaign concludes on June 5, 2027, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, home of La Liga power Atlético Madrid.
In the Champions League first legs, Union SG and Bodø/Glimt played out a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Patrick Berg opening the scoring for the visitors and Raul Florucz netting twice for the hosts. Slovan Bratislava, coached by Champions League winner Yaya Touré, came from behind to beat Mjällby 2-1 thanks to a 94th-minute winner. Ararat-Armenia overcame an early penalty to defeat Celje 2-1, boosting their chances of a first-ever appearance in the league phase.
Elsewhere, 18-year-old James Bogere, who started 2026 at Ugandan third-tier side Masaka Sunshine, scored his first two goals for Danish club Aarhus – both from outside the box, one with each foot – to secure a 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan’s Sabah.
The qualifying rounds for the Europa League and Conference League are also approaching their climax. In Europa League first legs, Anderlecht took just 16 seconds to score at PAOK, holding on for a 1-0 win thanks to goalkeeper Colin Coosemans’ penalty save. Beşiktaş went down to 10 men but still won 1-0 at Hradec Králové. Jagiellonia, watched by nearly 20,000 fans, came from behind to beat Rangers 2-1 with a double from Kajetan Szmyt, while Benfica cruised past Hearts 6-1.
Inter Escaldes took a 2-0 lead against Flora Tallinn, keeping alive the dream of becoming Andorra’s first representative in a UEFA league phase. San Marino’s Tre Fiori, despite leading 1-0, lost 4-1 to Drita. Finland’s all-time leading scorer Teemu Pukki was on target for HJK in a 1-1 draw with Motherwell, and Isak Dahlqvist netted a hat-trick for Tromsø in a 5-0 rout of CFR Cluj.
Across all men’s club competitions, 195 clubs from 54 national associations will contest 428 matches in qualifying, meaning 45% of the season’s fixtures will be played before the league phase draws. Women’s club competitions are also in full swing, with 78 clubs from 50 associations involved in the Women’s Champions League and Women’s Europa Cup.
