Overview

• The Montecarlo draw starts at 18:00 to assign each club eight opponents via UEFA’s software under no‑derby and max two‑per‑federation constraints.
• The competition keeps the single 36‑team table with eight matches per club, top eight into the round of 16, places 9–24 into playoffs, and 25–36 eliminated.
• Benfica reached the league phase by beating Fenerbahçe 1–0 as Qarabağ, Club Brugge and Copenhagen also qualified in the playoff deciders.
• New rules award quarter‑final second legs at home to teams finishing 1–4 in the league phase, with 1–2 also hosting semi‑final returns, and any eliminator inherits that right.
• UEFA set the 2026 final in Budapest for an 18:00 kickoff to aid fans and broadcasters, while Benfica’s qualification is reported to be worth roughly €27.5 million.