Champions League Qualifiers: 53 teams eye seven remaining slots

Femi Fabunmi

The 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League starts today, July 8, with the first-round qualifying matches.

A total of 14 games will be played between Tuesday and Wednesday.

This comes just 38 days after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final.

This season, 36 teams will play in the League Phase. So far, 29 teams have qualified through their domestic leagues, winning the Champions League or Europa League, or through European Performance Spots (Newcastle and Villarreal this year).

Seven spots remain, and these will be decided among 53 teams. The teams include winners, runners-up, or third and fourth-placed clubs in different European leagues, except Liechtenstein and Russia.

There will be three qualifying rounds and one play-off round between July 8 and August 27.

Here are all the Champions League qualifying round 1 games taking place today, July 8:

KuPS vs. Milsami (16:00 BST, 17:00 CEST)

Iberia 1999 vs. Malmo FF (17:00 BST, 18:00 CEST)

Noah vs. Budućnost Podgorica (17:00 BST, 18:00 CEST)

Levadia vs. Rigas FS (17:30 BST, 18:30 CEST)

Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Kairat Almaty (18:00 BST, 19:00 CEST)

FC Drita vs. FC 03 Differdange (19:00 BST, 20:00 CEST)

The New Saints FC vs. Shkendija (19:00 BST, 20:00 CEST)

Vikingur vs. Lincoln Red Imps (19:00 BST, 20:00 CEST)

KF Egnatia vs. Breidablik (20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST)

Virtus vs. Zrinjski Mostar (20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST)