UEFA has fixed September 2, 2026, as the deadline for clubs to submit their List A squads for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
Under the competition regulations, clubs are permitted to register no more than 25 players on List A, with the submission deadline set for 11:59 p.m. Central European Time.
UEFA said on Monday that clubs must submit their squads through their respective national associations, which will be responsible for verifying and validating the lists.
The governing body also reminded clubs that their submissions must comply with the requirement for locally trained players.
At least eight of the 25 available List A places must be occupied by locally trained players. However, no more than four of those eight places may be allocated to players classified as association-trained.
UEFA explained that clubs unable to provide eight locally trained players would have their maximum squad size reduced accordingly.
The regulations divide locally trained players into two categories. Club-trained players are those who have been registered with the same club for at least three full seasons, or 36 months, between the ages of 15 and 21. Association-trained players must have spent the same period registered with one or more clubs affiliated with the same national association.
Clubs will also be permitted to use List B, which has no numerical limit, provided players meet UEFA’s eligibility conditions.
Unlike List A, List B can be updated during the campaign. However, any player being added must be registered by 11:59 p.m. CET on the day preceding the relevant match.
Players born on or after January 1, 2005, may qualify for List B if they have been eligible to represent the club continuously for at least two years from the age of 15, or for three consecutive years, subject to a maximum one-year loan at a club within the same association.
Sixteen-year-olds can also qualify if they have maintained uninterrupted registration with the club for the previous two years.
UEFA’s regulations further allow players who featured for another club during the qualifying stages of its three men’s club competitions to represent a different team in the Champions League from the league phase.
This means a player who appeared in the first, second or third qualifying rounds, or play-offs, of the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League can subsequently play for another club in the Champions League league phase.
Clubs that reach the knockout stage will have another opportunity to modify their squads. UEFA will allow them to register up to three additional players by 11:59 p.m. CET on February 4, 2027.
The three players may include individuals who previously represented another club during the qualifying rounds, play-offs or league phase of any of UEFA’s three men’s club competitions.
Despite the changes, the 25-player List A ceiling and the minimum requirement for eight locally trained players will remain unchanged.
UEFA has also outlined provisions for replacing players who suffer serious injuries or illnesses.
During the league phase up to Matchday 6, a club may temporarily replace one outfield player who is ruled out for at least 60 days, provided the replacement player was already registered with the club before the September 2 deadline.
Separate provisions apply to goalkeepers. A goalkeeper sidelined by a long-term injury or illness of at least 30 days may be replaced temporarily at any point during the season.
A goalkeeper may also be replaced between Matchday 6 and the conclusion of the league phase if he leaves the club on a permanent transfer.
The 2026/27 Champions League league phase is scheduled to begin on September 8, 2026, with the campaign set to end with the final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
