Right now, zero clubs have already secured a league-phase spot without playing a qualifying match - every single one of the 36 places still has to be won on the pitch, including clubs that only ended up here after getting knocked out of the Champions League or Europa League first. Here's how it actually works, and where every club stands as of 4 August 2026.
The Format
36Clubs in the league phase
6Games each - single table, no groups
6×6Clubs drawn from 6 seeding pots
3H / 3AHome and away, single-leg matches
Already Confirmed - 0 Clubs
Unlike the Champions League (29 clubs) or Europa League (13 clubs), not a single Conference League club is confirmed for the league phase yet - even the highest-ranked entrants still have to win at least the Play-off Round on merit.
Still Fighting for a Spot - 65 Clubs
Two structural quirks set the Conference League apart. First, this cascade: lose in the Champions League's very first qualifying round, or the Europa League's second round, and you don't just go home - you drop straight into the Conference League at the equivalent stage. That's why close to a third of this week's 30 Q3 ties feature a club that was aiming for a completely different competition a few weeks ago. Second, the league phase format itself is smaller - 6 games instead of 8, 6 seeding pots of 6 instead of 4 of 9. Winners of this week's ties advance to the Play-off Round on 20 August.
Champions Path
Tre FioriDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Larne FC)
FC DritaDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Kauno Žalgiris)
Borac Banja LukaDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Levski Sofia)
ML VitebskDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Universitatea Craiova)
Flora TallinnDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Iberia 1999 Tbilisi)
Inter Club d'EscaldesDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Lincoln Red Imps)
Riga FCDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Ararat-Armenia)
ETO GyőrDropped from Champions League Q1 (lost to Víkingur Reykjavík)
Main Path
Inter Turku
FC Vaduz
Zalgiris Vilnius
Hajduk SplitDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Pafos FC)
Partizan Belgrade
Tobol Kustanai
Panathinaikos
CSKA 1948 Sofia
Ajax
Shelbourne
FK Auda
Dinamo Tirana
FC Noah
FC Sion
Sporting Braga
Dinamo Minsk
Valur Reykjavik
FC Nordsjælland
Sheriff TiraspolDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Maccabi Tel-Aviv)
FC Sankt GallenDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Benfica)
Hapoel Tel Aviv
GKS Katowice
Beitar Jerusalem
Austria Wien
CFR Cluj
Tromsø ILDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Hradec Králové)
Dynamo KyivDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to PAOK)
Qarabağ FKDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to CSKA Sofia)
SK Brann
Apollon Limassol
FC Lugano
NSÍ Runavík
Raków Częstochowa
Hammarby IFDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Anderlecht)
HJK Helsinki
Motherwell
Hibernian
Shkendija Tetovo
IFK Göteborg
KAA Gent
Paide Linnameeskond
Rapid Wien
Bohemians Dublin
FC MidtjyllandDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Beşiktaş)
DVSC Debrecen
FC København
FK Jablonec
RFS Riga
NK Rijeka
Ilves Tampere
FC Twente EnschedeDropped from Europa League Q2 (lost to Ferencváros)
DAC Dunajska Streda
Already through to the Play-off Round (20 Aug), no Q3 tie
SC FreiburgPlays the winner of HJK Helsinki – Motherwell
AS MonacoPlays the winner of this week's Europa League tie: Ferencváros vs Górnik Zabrze
Brighton & Hove AlbionPlays the winner of CFR Cluj – Tromsø IL
AtalantaPlays the winner of Hapoel Tel Aviv – GKS Katowice
Getafe CFPlays the winner of Partizan Belgrade – Tobol KustanaiNobody "Enters" the Conference League on Purpose
Fell from the Europa LeagueFC Twente EnschedeLost their Q2 tie to Ferencváros · now fighting through Conference League qualifying instead
Fell from the Europa LeagueQarabağ FKLost their Q2 tie to CSKA Sofia · now fighting through Conference League qualifying instead
Snapshot as of 4 August 2026 - Rules: official UEFA Conference League regulations, 2024–27 cycle. Sourced from kassiesa.net's UEFA Coefficients Database and UEFA's own round-by-round draw announcements.
