Seven Champions League places at stake in qualifying play-offs

pThe UEFA Champions League reaches a decisive stage this week as the first legs of the 2026-27 qualifying play-offs begin, with 14 teams competing for the final seven places in the league phase./ppTuesday, August 18 features Levski Sofia against AEK Athens, GNK Dinamo against Viking and Fenerbahce against Lyon. Wednesday, August 19 brings Hapoel Beer-Sheva against Sabah, Celtic against LASK, Slovan Bratislava against Celje and NEC against Bodo/Glimt./ppFenerbahce versus Lyon is one of the standout ties, with both clubs targeting a return to the main stage, while Celtic's meeting with Austrian champions LASK is another important contest in the qualification race./ppThe winner of each tie advances to the Champions League league phase, while the defeated team moves into the Europa League league phase. UEFA lists most play-off kick-offs for 21:00 CET unless otherwise stated./p