All 2026/27 Champions League participants confirmed: Barseghyan and Mkhitaryan among them

Armenian footballer Tigran Barseghyan has reached the main stage of the 2026/27 Champions League with Slovan Bratislava. For the 32-year-old, this will be his second appearance in Europe’s premier club competition.

In the second leg of the playoff round, the Slovak champions defeated Slovenian side Celje away from home 2-1 after extra time. Slovan won the tie 3-2 on aggregate and secured a place in the Champions League league phase. As a reminder, Celje eliminated Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia in the third qualifying round.

Barseghyan started the match and spent 73 minutes on the pitch. SofaScore gave the Armenian footballer a rating of 6.7.

Slovan finally overcome Celje in extra time

The scoring in the second leg was opened in the 18th minute, when Andraž Šporar put Slovan ahead with a spectacular strike. However, just 16 minutes later, the hosts restored parity as Svit Sešlar converted a penalty.

The opening 90 minutes failed to produce a winner, meaning the Champions League place was decided in extra time.

In the 100th minute, Cristian Martínez scored Slovan’s winning goal following a run by Nino Marcelli. Celje had a chance to equalise once again, but Mario Kvesić’s effort struck the woodwork. The final score was 1-2 on the night and 2-3 on aggregate.

Slovan therefore returned to the main stage of the Champions League two seasons later. The Slovak club last played there in the 2024/25 season, when Barseghyan was also part of the squad. UEFA notes that the Bratislava club has won eight of its last ten two-legged European ties.

Two Armenian footballers will play in the Champions League

Following Slovan’s success, it has now been definitively confirmed that two Armenian footballers will compete in the 2026/27 Champions League. Unfortunately, neither of them now plays for the Armenian national team.

Tigran Barseghyan will represent Slovan, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan will play for Inter Milan. In the summer of 2026, Mkhitaryan extended his contract with the Italian club until 2027, meaning the vastly experienced midfielder will spend another season with the Nerazzurri.

For Barseghyan, the upcoming Champions League campaign will be the second of his career. He played in the league phase with the Slovak club in the 2024/25 season and scored against AC Milan.

Fenerbahçe, AEK and Viking also qualify for the Champions League

The final four participants in the tournament’s league phase were confirmed on Wednesday.

Alongside Slovan, Fenerbahçe, AEK Athens and Viking secured their places.

Fenerbahçe defeated Lyon 2-1 away from home to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Vedat Muriqi and Archie Brown scored two quick goals in the first half, while Malick Fofana was only able to pull one back after the break.

Viking defeated Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 and won 5-3 on aggregate. The Norwegian club will play in the main stage of the Champions League for the first time in its history.

After a goalless draw in the first leg, AEK Athens thrashed Levski 4-0. Luka Jović, Răzvan Marin and Barnabás Varga, who scored twice, were all on target.

A day earlier, Sabah, Bodø/Glimt and LASK had also qualified for the Champions League. The 36-team lineup for the 2026/27 league phase is therefore now complete.

Lyon, Celje, Levski and Dinamo will continue in the Europa League

Teams that lose in the Champions League qualifying playoffs automatically move into the league phase of the Europa League.

As a result, Lyon, Celje, Levski and Dinamo Zagreb will continue their European campaigns in UEFA’s second-tier club competition.

Elimination could prove particularly painful for Lyon. The French club remains under significant financial pressure, and qualification for the main stage of the Champions League would have carried major economic importance.

Ahead of the second leg, French media reported that qualification could have brought the club around €23 million in additional revenue, while player sales were being considered as one way to reduce its financial burden and wage bill. Consequently, following the defeat to Fenerbahçe, the likelihood of further significant outgoing transfers has indeed increased. However, it would still be premature to present claims that Lyon is required to sell “half of the squad” as a confirmed fact.

All participants in the 2026/27 Champions League

A total of 36 clubs will compete in the Champions League league phase:

AEK Athens, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Bodø/Glimt, Club Brugge, Como, Fenerbahçe, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Inter Milan, LASK, RB Leipzig, Lens, Lille, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Napoli, PSG, Porto, PSV, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Roma, Slovan Bratislava, Sabah, Shakhtar, Slavia Prague, Sporting, Stuttgart, Viking and Villarreal.

For four teams, the occasion will be historic: Viking, Sabah, LASK and Como will play in the main stage of the Champions League for the first time.

When will the Champions League draw take place?

The draw for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase will take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 27. It will begin at 8:00 p.m. Yerevan time. UEFA will conduct the draw involving all 36 clubs.

For Armenian football fans, the timing is particularly noteworthy: almost simultaneously, the second leg of the Europa League playoff between Ararat-Armenia and Universitatea Craiova will kick off in Yerevan.

The match at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium will also begin at 8:00 p.m. Yerevan time on August 27. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning Ararat-Armenia will be fighting for a place in the league phase of a European competition on the very same evening.

Armenian football fans are therefore in for an action-packed European evening: Barseghyan and Mkhitaryan will discover their future Champions League opponents, while Ararat-Armenia will simultaneously play one of the most important matches of its season.

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