All you need to know about the 26/27 Conference League: Draws, dates & more

[p]To help you follow every step on the road to the final in June, we explain all you need to know about the upcoming 2026/27 Conference League season in what follows, from the key dates to the draws, teams, and much more.[/p][h2]Qualifying phase: How does it work?[/h2][p]Unlike the Champions League and Europa League, there are no direct qualifiers for the Conference League. All 36 participants come from either the Conference League play-offs or drop down after losing in the final stage of the Europa League play-offs.[/p][p]The Conference League play-offs are staged over four rounds, with 48 teams reaching the final play-offs. The 24 winners of those play-offs progress to the league phase, along with the 12 losers from the Europa League's final play-off round.[/p][h2]Dates for the Conference League qualifying rounds[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round: [/b]July 9th and 16th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round:[/b] July 23rd and 30th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]August 6th and 13th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs: [/b]August 20th and 27th, 2026[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/europe/conference-league/"]Follow the Conference League qualifiers with Flashscore![/a][/h2][embed guid="f21e1270-07d3-4cbd-a795-ef62a7160b17" url="https://x.com/Conf_League/status/2086830004361417063" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Which teams have already qualified?[/h2][p]No teams have yet qualified for the Conference League as all participants come either via the play-offs or down from the Europa League play-offs.[/p][h2]When are the league phase matchdays?[/h2][p][b]Matchday 1:[/b] October 15th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 2:[/b] October 22nd, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 3:[/b] November 5th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 4:[/b] November 26th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 5:[/b] December 10th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 6:[/b] December 17th, 2026[/p][h2]When are the knockout rounds played?[/h2][p][b]Knockout play-offs:[/b] February 18th and 25th, 2027[/p][p][b]Round of 16:[/b] March 11th and 18th, 2027[/p][p][b]Quarter-finals:[/b] April 8th and 15th, 2027[/p][p][b]Semi-finals:[/b] April 29th and May 6th, 2027[/p][p][b]Final: [/b]June 2nd, 2027[/p][image alt="Istanbul's Besiktas Stadium will host the final of the 2026/27 Conference League" id="c877041b-7b53-4a99-8566-0e31312dd506" credit-line="BURAK BASTURK / MIDDLE EAST IMAGES / MIDDLE EAST IMAGES VIA AFP" guid="3faafcd9-aa54-4ea8-9b66-36284ab8b8d0" original-width="5000" original-height="3333" /][h2]When are the various Conference League draws?[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round: [/b]June 16th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round: [/b]June 17th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]July 20th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs: [/b]August 3rd, 2026[/p][p][b]League phase: [/b]August 28th, 2026[/p][p][b]Knockout round play-offs: [/b]January 15th, 2027[/p][p][b]Round of 16 and final bracket:[/b] February 26th, 2027[/p][h2]When and where is the Conference League final?[/h2][p]The 2026/27 Conference League final will be staged on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2027, at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. The stadium hosted the 2019 UEFA Super Cup as well as the 2026 Europa League final.[/p]