The 2024/25 Champions League League Phase recently came to a conclusion, with Liverpool finishing as the winners with 21 points after seven wins and one defeat. Whilst every focus is now on the Round of 16 and the latter stages of the competition, we can take a quick peep at every team that has technically qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase.
Just like the recently concluded UCL League Phase, the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase will contain 36 teams, where the teams that finished in the top eight will earn automatic qualification to the Round of 16, the teams between 9th and 24th will participate in the playoff and the teams occupying between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from the competition. It is also important to add that, this new format does not support Team A playing against Team B home and away like the old format, but rather Team A playing four home matches and four away matches against eight different matches.
While the 2024/25 Champions League campaign is still ongoing, we decided to take a look at the top five European Leagues' standings in a bid to see how many teams have technically qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase and the teams that have the potential to make the cut. Every top European League has entered the second half of the season, which means it is somewhat clearer at this stage to guess the teams that can potentially qualify for the UCL next season and teams that can still make the cut. However, it is imperative that you check this content from time to time to see how many changes we have made, as football remains one of the most difficult events to predict its final outcomes.
2025/26 Champions League: Who qualified for the league phase?
With over 20 matches played in every top European League this season, it is somewhat easy to predict which teams have the potential to finish in the top three and qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase. Below are some of these teams in their respective competitions. We will start with the Premier League and end with the Ligue 1.
Qualified Premier League Teams: 2025/26 Champions League League Phase
After 26 Premier League matches, we can confidently announce that Liverpool have technically qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase, as they currently occupy the top spot with 64 points. Arsenal sit in second place with 53 points, and their form this season suggests they are unlikely to finish outside the top four at the end of the season. Other Premier League teams that can still potentially qualify for the 2025/26 UCL League Phase are; Manchester City, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, and Newcastle United.
Qualified La Liga Teams: 2025/26 Champions League League Phase
After 25 La Liga matches, we can safely name the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid as the La Liga teams that have technically qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase. The three Spanish teams are fond of qualifying for this competition every season, and we don't expect the upcoming season to be any different. Other La Liga teams that can potentially qualify for the 2025/26 UCL League Phase are Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal.
Qualified Serie A Teams: 2025/26 Champions League League Phase
After 26 Serie A matches, you understand why Inter Milan and Napoli are technically going to qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase. Other teams that can still book their place in the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase are Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan. Bologna, who qualified for the 2024/25 UCL campaign are down the table, and have slim chances of making the cut even if Italy goes on to get that one extra ticket.
Qualified Bundesliga Teams: 2025/26 Champions League League Phase
After 23 Bundesliga matches, we can confidently confirm that Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich will qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase, as both teams are occupying the top two spots, with Bayer leading third place by eight points. Other Bundesliga teams that can still make the UCL cut are Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Borussia Dortmund.
Qualified Ligue 1 Teams: 2025/26 Champions League League Phase
PSG and Marseille are technically going to qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League League Phase after 23 Ligue 1 matches, as both teams currently occupy the top two places in the division. Other French Ligue 1 teams that can potentially qualify for the 2025/26 UCL League Phase are OGC Nice, Lille, Monaco and Lyon.
Summary
We selected the teams mentioned above based on their current form and data, but there's a huge chance some of the teams not listed here may come from behind and make a shock entry. This is football, everything is possible. Teams from other European Leagues such as Benfica, Sporting, Salzburg, PSV, Feyenoord and others can also participate in next season's UCL campaign if they make the cut in their respective leagues.