2025–26 UEFA Youth League
 The Colovray Stadium in Nyon will host the semi-finals and final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 September 2025 – 20 April 2026 |
| Teams | 86 (from 50 associations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 204 |
| Goals scored | 793 (3.89 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Emre Ünüvar (Ajax) 9 goals |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 4 February 2026. | |
The 2025–26 UEFA Youth League is the twelfth season of the UEFA Youth League, a European youth club football competition organised by UEFA.[1]
The title holders are Barcelona, who defeated Trabzonspor 4–1 in the previous edition's final.
Teams
A total of 86 teams from 50 of the 55 UEFA member associations entered the tournament. They were split into two sections.[2]
- UEFA Champions League Path: The youth teams of the 36 clubs which qualified for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase entered the UEFA Champions League Path. If there had been a vacancy (youth teams not entering), it would have been filled by a team defined by UEFA.
- Domestic Champions Path: The youth domestic champions of all UEFA associations entered the Domestic Champions Path, with the exception of 5 teams.[a] Clubs from the top 30 associations according to their 2025 UEFA country coefficients qualified for the second round, with the remaining 20 teams starting from the first round. If the youth domestic champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League path, their spot was filled by the youth domestic runners-ups; if the runners-ups also qualify for the UEFA Champions League path, the vacancy was not filled.[1]
|
- Notes
- TH Title holders.
- RU Youth domestic runners-up playing in the Domestic Champions Path because the domestic champions qualified for the UEFA Champions League Path.
- YC Teams playing in the UEFA Champions League Path which were also youth domestic champions.
- PO Teams playing in the UEFA Champions League Path after their senior team qualified for the Champions League league phase via play-offs.
- ^ Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[4]
Distribution
| Path | Round | Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from the previous round |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League Path (36 teams) |
League phase (36 teams) |
|
|
| Domestic Champions Path (50 teams) |
First round (20 teams) |
|
|
| Second round (40 teams) |
|
| |
| Third round (20 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (32 teams) |
| ||
As the Youth League title holders (Barcelona) qualified for Champions League Path via their senior side, the following changes to the default access list were made:
Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[1]
- For the UEFA Champions League Path league stage, in principle the teams played their matches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of the matchdays as scheduled for UEFA Champions League, and on the same day as the corresponding senior teams; however, matches could also be played on other dates, including Mondays and Thursdays.
- For the Domestic Champions Path first and second rounds, in principle matches were played on Wednesdays (first round on matchdays 2 and 3, second round on matchdays 4 and 5, as scheduled for UEFA Champions League); however, matches could also be played on other dates, including Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League Path | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2025 | 16–18 September 2025 | |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September – 1 October 2025 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 21–22 October 2025 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 4–5 November 2025 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 25–26 November 2025 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 9–10 December 2025 | |||
| Domestic Champions Path |
First round | 1 September 2025 | 17 September 2025 | 1 October 2025 |
| Second round | 22 October 2025 | 5 November 2025 | ||
| Third round | 26 November 2025 | 10 December 2025 | ||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 12 December 2025 | 3–4 February 2026 | |
| Round of 16 | 6 February 2026 | 24–25 February 2026 | ||
| Quarter-finals | N/a | 17–18 March 2026 | ||
| Semi-finals | 17 April 2026 Colovray Stadium, Nyon | |||
| Final | 20 April 2026 Colovray Stadium, Nyon | |||
UEFA Champions League Path
For the UEFA Champions League Path, the 36 teams played six matches (three home and three away) following the same schedule as the first six matchdays of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase. The top 22 teams advanced to the knockout phase.[1]
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chelsea
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 16 | Advance to knockout phase (Pairing 1 to 6 seeded) |
| 2 | .svg.png){kind=small} Benfica
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 15 | |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Club Brugge
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 15 | |
| 4 |  Real Madrid
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 15 | |
| 5 | Villarreal
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 15 | |
| 6 | Athletic Bilbao
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 14 | |
| 7 | Atlético Madrid
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase (Pairing 7 to 16 unseeded) |
| 8 | Barcelona
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 13 | |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 14 | +14 | 12 | |
| 10 | Manchester City
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 8 | +10 | 12 | |
| 11 |  Borussia Dortmund
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 12 | |
| 12 | Sporting CP
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 12 | |
| 13 |  Paris Saint-Germain
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 11 | |
| 14 |  Inter Milan
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 11 | |
| 15 |  Ajax
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 10 | |
| 16 | Liverpool
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 10 | |
| 17 | Bayer Leverkusen
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase (Pairing 1 to 6 unseeded) |
| 18 | Monaco
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 9 | |
| 19 | PSV Eindhoven
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 8 | |
| 20 |  Slavia Prague
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 8 | |
| 21 | Eintracht Frankfurt
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 7 | |
| 22 | Marseille
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 7 | |
| 23 |  Copenhagen
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | |
| 24 |  Olympiacos
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 7 | |
| 25 | Napoli
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 6 | |
| 26 | Juventus
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 5 | |
| 27 | Bayern Munich
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 16 | −6 | 4 | |
| 28 |  Kairat
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 4 | |
| 29 | Atalanta
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 4 | |
| 30 |  Pafos
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 4 | |
| 31 | Union Saint-Gilloise
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 18 | −11 | 4 | |
| 32 |  Galatasaray
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 21 | −15 | 4 | |
| 33 | Arsenal
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 18 | −7 | 3 | |
| 34 | Newcastle United
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 17 | −11 | 0 | |
| 35 |  Bodø/Glimt
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 31 | −27 | 0 | |
| 36 |  Qarabağ
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 30 | −29 | 0 |
Results
Domestic Champions Path
For the Domestic Champions Path, the 50 teams were drawn into three rounds of two-legged home-and-away ties, with the 30 clubs from the top ranked associations starting directly from the second round. The draw for all three rounds were held on 1 September 2025.
The ten third round winners advanced to the round of 32.
First round
The first legs were played on 17, 18 and 26 September, and the second legs on 30 September and 1 October 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the second round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordabasy | 1–3 |  Dinamo Minsk | 1–1 | 0–2 |
Zrinjski Mostar  | 1–4 |  Dinamo Tbilisi | 1–1 | 0–3 |
Shelbourne  | 12–1 |  Rabotnichki | 5–0 | 7–1 |
Larne .svg.png){kind=small} | 3–3 (4–5 p) |  Racing Union | 2–0 | 1–3 |
Haverfordwest  | 3–5 |  Budućnost Podgorica | 2–3 | 1–2 |
FK Be1  | 1–5 |  HJK Helsinki | 1–1 | 0–4 |
Narva Trans  | 2–4 |  Víkingur | 1–0 | 1–4 |
FK Jelgava  | 2–3 |  Akureyri | 2–2 | 0–1 |
Inter Club d'Escaldes  | 0–15 |  Skënderbeu | 0–10 | 0–5 |
Naxxar Lions  | 1–6 |  Lincoln Red Imps | 0–2 | 1–4 |
Second round
The first legs were played on 21, 22 & 23 October and 1 November, and the second legs on 4 & 5 November 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinamo Minsk | 2–1 |  Ludogorets Razgrad | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| AEK Larnaca | 3–6 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 3–4 | 0–2 |
Bravo  | 1–8 | Porto | 0–4 | 1–4 |
Basel .svg.png){kind=small} | 3–4 | Real Betis | 3–2 | 0–2 |
Austria Wien  | 2–4 |  Maccabi Haifa | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Nantes | 7–1 | Sabah | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| Baník Ostrava | 1–4 |  Red Star Belgrade | 0–0 | 1–4 |
Žilina  | 2–2 (2–0 p) | Shelbourne | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Racing Union | 1–5 | 1. FC Köln | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Midtjylland | 8–1 | Budućnost Podgorica | 3–0 | 5–1 |
| HJK Helsinki | 3–2 | Trabzonspor | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Víkingur | 1–11 | Genk | 0–8 | 1–3 |
| Akureyri | 0–4 | PAOK | 0–2 | 0–2 |
Legia Warsaw  | 6–4 | Fiorentina | 4–1 | 2–3 |
Lokomotiva Zagreb  | 4–6 |  FCSB | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| Brann | 1–1 (1–3 p) |  Puskás Akadémia | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Dynamo Kyiv  | 3–1 |  Brommapojkarna | 1–0 | 2–1 |
Hibernian  | 4–1 |  2 Korriku | 4–0 | 0–1 |
| Skënderbeu | 1–7 | Aston Villa | 1–1 | 0–6 |
| AZ | 9–0 | Lincoln Red Imps | 4–0 | 5–0 |
Third round
The first legs were played on 25 & 26 November–5 December, and the second legs on 9 & 10 December 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the knockout phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinamo Minsk | 2–2 (4–2 p) | Dinamo Tbilisi | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| Porto | 0–9 | Real Betis | 0–4 | 0–5 |
| Maccabi Haifa | 4–2 | Nantes | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 3–3 (6–7 p) | Žilina | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| 1. FC Köln | 5–2 | Midtjylland | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| HJK Helsinki | 3–2 | Genk | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Legia Warsaw | 4–2 | PAOK | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| FCSB | 4–4 (2–4 p) | Puskás Akadémia | 1–2 | 3–2 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2–1 | Hibernian | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Aston Villa | 3–4 | AZ | 2–2 | 1–2 |
Knockout phase
The top 22 teams from the UEFA Champions League Path as well as 10 winners of the Domestic Champions Path qualified for the knockout phase, which will be played in a single-leg knockout format. For the round of 32, the top six teams from the UEFA Champions League Path will be paired against the teams finished in 17th to 22nd place, and the Domestic Champions Path winners will be paired against teams ranked 7th to 16th.[1]
Round of 32
The matches were played on 3 and 4 February 2026.
Bracket
Round of 16
The draw was conducted on 6 February 2026 at 13:00 CET in the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.[6]The round of 16 will be played over one leg on 24 and 25 February 2026.
Quarter-finals
The draw was conducted on 6 February 2026 at 13:00 CET in the UEFA headquarters in Nyon after the round of 16 draw.[6] The quarter-finals will be played over one leg on 17 and 18 March 2026.
| Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|
| Winner R16-1 | 17–18 Mar | Winner R16-3 |
| Winner R16-7 | 17–18 Mar | Winner R16-5 |
| Winner R16-4 | 17–18 Mar | Winner R16-2 |
| Winner R16-8 | 17–18 Mar | Winner R16-6 |
Semi-finals
The draw was conducted on 6 February 2026 at 13:00 CET in the UEFA headquarters in Nyon after the round of 16 draw.[6] The semi-finals will be played over one leg on 17 April 2026.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Winner QF1 | 17 Apr | Winner QF2 |
| Winner QF3 | 17 Apr | Winner QF4 |
Final
The final will be played on 20 April 2026 at Colovray Stadium, Nyon.
Winner SF2  | v | Winner SF2 |
|---|---|---|
See also
Notes
- ^ Liechtenstein and San Marino do not have a youth domestic competition; Armenia and Moldova did not enter; Russia were suspended from UEFA competitions
References
- ^ a b c d e "2025/26 UEFA Youth League dates, format". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 April 2025.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Youth League: 2025/26". UEFA. 27 June 2025. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs". UEFA.com (Press release). Nyon: Union of European Football Associations. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Table & Standings". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "UEFA Youth League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.