Qualifying for the UEFA Champions is changing come 2018/19. The new system is explained below it is different from the current operation system.

UEFA Champions league

Group stage

There will now be 26 teams automatically qualified as per the access list drawn up from the UEFA association coefficients at the end of 2016/17.
For 2018/19 they will be …

UEFA Champions League holders (1)

UEFA Europa League holders (1)

Top four from associations ranked 1st to 4th: Spain, Germany, England, Italy (16)
Top two from associations ranked 5th and 6th: France, Russia (4)
Champions of associations ranked 7th to 10th: Portugal, Ukraine, Belgium, Turkey (4)

If the UEFA Champions League holders have qualified for the group stage via their domestic championship, the vacancy will be filled by the champions of the association ranked 11th (Czech Republic), who otherwise compete in the champions path

If the UEFA Europa League holders have qualified for the group stage via their domestic championship, the vacancy will be filled by the third-placed club from the association ranked fifth (France), who otherwise compete in the league path

An association may have a maximum of five teams in the group stage

Qualifying

As now there are two paths: the champion’s path and the league path. Teams enter as per the access list draw up from the UEFA association coefficients at the end of 2016/17.

Champions route (four group places)

This route consists of the champions of the associations ranked 11th and below and now includes a preliminary round as well as three qualifying rounds and a play-off round:

Preliminary round (played as knockout mini-tournament): four teams enter
First qualifying round: 33 teams enter plus winner of preliminary round
Second qualifying round: three teams enter plus 17 first qualifying round winners
Third qualifying round: two teams enter plus ten second qualifying round winners
Play-offs: two teams enter plus six third qualifying round winners
All teams eliminated in the champions path between the preliminary round and the third qualifying round will be given a second chance to compete at European level by entering a new dedicated champion’s path of UEFA Europa League qualifying with staggered access according to round of elimination from the UEFA Champions League. Teams eliminated in champion’s path play-offs enter the UEFA Europa League group stage directly.

League route (two group places)

This route consists of the third-placed teams of the associations ranked fifth and sixth, and the runners-up of the associations ranked seventh to 15th. There are three rounds in all:

Second qualifying round: six teams enter

Third qualifying round: five teams enter plus three second qualifying round winners Play-offs: four third qualifying round winners
All teams eliminated in the second qualifying round of the league path will be given a second chance to compete at European level by entering the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League league path. Teams eliminated in the league path third qualifying round and play-offs enter the UEFA Europa League group stage directly.

MATCH CALENDARS

2018/19 UEFA Champions League

26 June: Preliminary round semi-finals
29 June: Preliminary round final
10/11 July: First qualifying round, first leg
17/18 July: First qualifying round, second leg
24/25 July: Second qualifying round, first leg
31 July/1 August: Second qualifying round, second leg
7/8 August: Third qualifying round, first leg
14 August: Third qualifying round, second leg
21/22 August: Play-off round, first leg
28/29 August: Play-off round, second leg

18/19 September: Group stage, matchday one
2/3 October: Group stage, matchday two
23/24 October: Group stage, matchday three
6/7 November: Group stage, matchday four
27/28 November: Group stage, matchday five
11/12 December: Group stage, matchday six

12/13/19/20 February: Round of 16, first leg
5/6/12/13 March: Round of 16, second leg
9/10 April: Quarter-finals, first leg
16/17 April: Quarter-finals, second leg
30 April/1 May: Semi-finals, first leg
7/8 May: Semi-finals, second leg

Saturday 1 June: Final – Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid

2018 UEFA Super Cup will be played on Wednesday 15 August in Tallinn