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UEFA Conference League 2026-27 Draw: Everything You Need to Know

Who would have thought, just a few years ago, that the UEFA Conference League would become such an important part of the European football calendar? Since its introduction, the competition has provided clubs with the opportunity to experience European football while producing plenty of memorable results and unexpected stories.

The excitement increases when the league phase draw arrives. Supporters discover which opponents their clubs will face, travel plans begin to take shape and attention turns towards the fixtures that could define the first part of the European campaign.

However, the draw is not simply a matter of picking names from a hat. UEFA uses a defined system based on club coefficients, with rules governing the allocation of opponents, home and away matches and which clubs can face one another. Understanding the procedure helps explain how the 2026-27 Conference League league phase will take shape.

When Is The UEFA Conference League Draw?

The 2026-27 UEFA Conference League league phase draw takes place on Friday, 28 August 2026. UEFA has confirmed that the ceremony will be held in Monaco, with the draw scheduled for 13:00 CET.

For supporters in the UK, that means the draw begins at 12:00 BST. The timing comes after the qualifying rounds have concluded, allowing UEFA to establish the final 36-team league phase field and confirm the seeding pots.

Unlike the old group-stage format, the Conference League now uses a league phase. The 2026-27 competition is the third edition to use this 36-team format, with every club receiving six opponents rather than being placed into a traditional four-team group.

The draw therefore determines a significant part of each club’s European schedule, with the league phase matches beginning in October.

What Time Is The UEFA Conference League Draw?

The 2026-27 UEFA Conference League league phase draw is scheduled to begin at 13:00 CET on Friday, 28 August 2026. That is 12:00 BST for viewers in the UK. UEFA’s official draw information confirms the 13:00 CET start time.

The ceremony will be held in Monaco and will determine the six league-phase opponents for each of the 36 participating clubs.

The league phase itself begins on Thursday, 15 October 2026. The remaining matchdays are scheduled for 22 October, 5 November, 26 November, 10 December and 17 December. UEFA notes that dates can be subject to change.

For supporters, the draw is therefore more than simply a list of opponents. Once the draw is complete, attention turns towards the individual fixtures, kick-off times, travel arrangements and ticket information.

How Does The UEFA Conference League Draw Work?

The 2026-27 Conference League uses a league-phase draw involving 36 clubs divided into six pots of six teams. The pots are based on the UEFA club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season.

Each club is drawn against one opponent from each of the six pots, meaning every team receives six different league-phase opponents. Each club plays three matches at home and three away. The fixtures are single-leg ties rather than two-legged group-stage matches.

The home and away allocation is also built into the draw. Pots 1 and 2 are paired, as are Pots 3 and 4 and Pots 5 and 6. For each pairing, a club is allocated one home and one away opponent.

There are also restrictions on which clubs can meet. In principle, teams from the same national association cannot be drawn against one another, while a club can face a maximum of two opponents from any other individual association, subject to UEFA’s draw rules. UEFA can also adapt the draw conditions when necessary to avoid deadlocks or account for relevant constraints.

The result is a single league table rather than separate groups. Clubs receive three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams finishing first to eighth qualify directly for the round of 16, those finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs, while teams finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated.

Which Teams Are In The UEFA Conference League Draw?

The 2026-27 Conference League league phase contains 36 teams. UEFA confirmed that all 36 clubs reached the league phase through qualifying, with 24 coming through the Conference League play-offs and 12 transferring from the UEFA Europa League. The field represents 30 different nations.

The confirmed 2026-27 league-phase teams are:

  • Atalanta (Italy)
  • Ajax (Netherlands)
  • Aarhus (Denmark)
  • Brighton (England)
  • Borac (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • Braga (Portugal)
  • Brann (Norway)
  • Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
  • CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)
  • Copenhagen (Denmark)
  • Egnatia (Albania)
  • Freiburg (Germany)
  • Getafe (Spain)
  • Gent (Belgium)
  • Hajduk Split (Croatia)
  • Hearts (Scotland)
  • Iberia Tbilisi (Georgia)
  • Inter Escaldes (Andorra)
  • Jablonec (Czechia)
  • Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan)
  • Kauno Žalgiris (Lithuania)
  • KuPS Kuopio (Finland)
  • Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar)
  • Lugano (Switzerland)
  • Mjällby (Sweden)
  • Midtjylland (Denmark)
  • Monaco (France)
  • Nordsjælland (Denmark)
  • Pafos (Cyprus)
  • Panathinaikos (Greece)
  • Riga (Latvia)
  • Sint-Truidense (Belgium)
  • Thun (Switzerland)
  • Trabzonspor (Türkiye)
  • Twente (Netherlands)
  • Universitatea Craiova (Romania)

The six draw pots have also been confirmed by UEFA. Pot 1 contains Atalanta, Braga, Ajax, Freiburg, Monaco and Copenhagen, while Brighton, Gent, Panathinaikos, Pafos, Midtjylland and Crvena Zvezda are among the clubs in Pot 2.

The remaining pots contain a mixture of experienced European clubs and sides from countries that are less frequently represented in UEFA’s league phases. Notably, Andorra will have a club in a UEFA league phase or group stage for the first time, with Inter Escaldes among the 36 participants.

With the draw complete, clubs can begin preparing for their six league-phase fixtures. The opening matchday is scheduled for 15 October, with the league phase concluding on 17 December 2026.

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