UEFA has set 23:59 CET on September 2, 2026, as the deadline for clubs to submit their List A squads for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
Squads must be verified and validated by each club’s national association before being forwarded to UEFA. Each List A squad can hold a maximum of 25 players, including at least two goalkeepers, and clubs must field a minimum of eight locally trained players, no more than four of whom can be association-trained rather than club-trained. Clubs that fall short of the quota will have their overall squad size cut accordingly.
UEFA defines a club-trained player as someone who spent at least three full seasons, or 36 months, registered with the club between the ages of 15 and 21, a rule meant to reward academy development over recruitment.
The deadline lands just before the league phase kicks off on September 8, when the competition’s biggest clubs begin their campaigns. Clubs that reach the knockout rounds get one more window to strengthen their squads, with up to three new players allowed to be registered by 23:59 CET on February 4, 2027.
This season’s league phase features 36 clubs, 29 of which qualified directly, with the remaining seven places decided through play-offs concluding on August 25 and 26. The competition runs through to the final at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on June 5, 2027.
