New UEFA Champions League Season Kicks Off Today with First Qualifying Round
The race for a spot in Europe’s elite football competition begins today, July 8, as the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season gets underway with first-round qualifying matches.
Barely a month after Paris Saint-Germain crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final, attention now shifts to clubs from across the continent fighting to secure their place in the newly expanded League Phase.
This year’s competition will feature 36 teams in the main round. Already, 29 teams have qualified through domestic league positions, winning last season’s Champions League or Europa League, and via the new European Performance Spots awarded this year to Newcastle and Villarreal.
The remaining seven slots are to be contested by 53 clubs from across Europe ; ranging from national champions to runners-up and top-four finishers with the exception of Russia and Liechtenstein, who won’t be participating.
The qualification process will run from July 8 to August 27, consisting of three rounds and a final play-off stage to determine the final entrants into the group format.
Fixtures for today’s first-round qualifiers (July 8):
- KuPS vs Milsami
- Iberia 1999 vs Malmo FF
- Noah vs Budućnost Podgorica
- Levadia vs Rigas FS
- Olimpija Ljubljana vs Kairat Almaty
- FC Drita vs FC 03 Differdange
- The New Saints FC vs Shkendija
- Vikingur vs Lincoln Red Imps
- KF Egnatia vs Breidablik
- Virtus vs Zrinjski Mostar
Kick-offs are scheduled at various times between late afternoon and evening, as clubs begin their long road to European glory.
