UEFA Conference League 2025-26: All 36 Teams, Top Players, and Statistics

By Tactiq AI · 2026-05-20 · 18 min read · AI & Football

The UEFA Conference League is Europe's third-tier club football competition, launched in 2021 to provide continental pathway for smaller-market clubs that might otherwise be shut out of European football. The 2024+ league-phase format expanded the competition to 36 clubs in a single league table. This guide covers all 36 expected 2025-26 participants, their prominent players, honours, and statistical profiles.

Team lineups reflect squad composition as of mid-2026. Actual match-day starting elevens are the manager's choice, with heavier rotation than UEL or UCL because UECL is tertiary priority for top clubs who qualify.

The format

36 clubs in league phase.
6 matches per side against 6 different opponents (fewer than UCL/UEL).
Top 8 advance directly to R16.
Positions 9-24 enter playoff round.
Positions 25-36 eliminated.
Winner qualifies for next season's Europa League playoff.

The 36 clubs

Pot 1 (Strong-seeded)

Chelsea (England), Premier League

2024-25 Conference League champions. Squad: Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Reece James, Wesley Fofana.

Fiorentina (Italy), Serie A

Conference League finalist 2022-23 and 2023-24. Squad: Dušan Vlahović (legacy), Nicolás González (legacy), Jonathan Ikoné, Arthur Melo, Nico González.

Real Betis (Spain), La Liga

Recent European participant. Squad: Isco, Héctor Bellerín, Sergi Altimira, Willian José, Rui Silva.

Villarreal (Spain), La Liga

Europa League winners 2020-21. Squad: Yeremy Pino, Álex Baena, Gerard Moreno, Francis Coquelin.

Sparta Prague (Czech), First League

Regular European participant. Squad: Lukáš Haraslín, Veljko Birmančević, Matěj Ryneš, Filip Panák.

Gent (Belgium), Pro League

UECL knockout regulars. Squad: Sven Kums, Tarik Tissoudali, Hugo Cuypers, Ibrahim Salah.

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), Pro League

Historical Belgian power. Squad: Kasper Dolberg, Francis Amuzu, Killian Sardella.

Pot 2 (Mid-seeded)

Molde (Norway), Eliteserien

UECL group-stage regulars. Squad: Fredrik Gulbrandsen, Kristian Eriksen, Birk Risa.

Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia), Premier League

Bosnian champions. Squad: Kenan Osmanhodžić, Benjamin Tatar, Željko Zubić.

PAOK (Greece), Super League

Regular European participant. Squad: Stefan Schwab, Thomas Murg, Tasos Douvikas.

Panathinaikos (Greece), Super League

Historical Greek power. Squad: Anastasios Bakasetas, Fotis Ioannidis, Juan Lopes.

Djurgårdens IF (Sweden), Allsvenskan

Regular Nordic participant. Squad: Ema Boateng, Erik Berg, Victor Edvardsen.

IF Elfsborg (Sweden), Allsvenskan

Rising Swedish club. Squad: Ahmed Qasem, Besfort Zeneli, Michael Baidoo.

Brøndby (Denmark), Superliga

Historical Danish power. Squad: Mathias Kvistgaarden, Mathias Greve, Daniel Wass.

AaB Aalborg (Denmark), Superliga

Regular European participant. Squad: Lukas Klitten, Louka Prip.

Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), First League

UCL veterans; UECL regulars. Squad: Vladimír Weiss, Tigran Barseghyan, Kevin Wimmer.

Pot 3

Dinamo Minsk (Belarus), Vysshaya Liga

Belarusian champions. Squad: Kirill Pechenin, Vitali Lisakovich.

FCI Levadia (Estonia), Meistriliiga

Estonian champions. Squad: Karol Mets, Rauno Sappinen.

Qarabağ (Azerbaijan), Premier League

UECL regulars. Squad: Abdellah Zoubir, Marko Vesović, Kevin Medina.

Lugano (Switzerland), Super League

Swiss European participant. Squad: Hadi Haidar, Jonathan Sabbatini, Antonios Papadopoulos.

Servette (Switzerland), Super League

Swiss European participant. Squad: Fabian Schnellmann, Timothé Cognat.

Vitória Guimarães (Portugal), Primeira Liga

Portuguese European regular. Squad: Pedro Álvaro, Tiago Silva, Bruno Silva.

Rijeka (Croatia), HNL

Croatian European participant. Squad: Lovro Majer (legacy), Roko Šimić.

Pafos (Cyprus), First Division

Cypriot rising side. Squad: Pepê Daniel, Aggelos Andreou.

Shelbourne (Ireland), Premier Division

Irish champions. Squad: Jack Moylan, Paddy Barrett.

Legia Warsaw (Poland), Ekstraklasa

Historical UECL participant. Squad: Pavlos Pantelidis, Tomas Pekhart, Kacper Tobiasz.

Rapid Vienna (Austria), Bundesliga

Austrian European regular. Squad: Guido Burgstaller, Matthias Seidl, Leopold Querfeld.

Pot 4

Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), Ligat Ha'al

Regular European participant. Squad: Dor Peretz, Eran Zahavi (legacy).

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), HNL

UCL veterans, UECL path participant. Squad: Petar Sučić, Bruno Petković.

APOEL (Cyprus), First Division

Cypriot power. Squad: Ioannis Pittas, Lorenc Trashi.

BATE Borisov (Belarus), Vysshaya Liga

Belarusian European veteran. Squad: Yevheniy Volynets.

AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Eredivisie

Regular European participant. Squad: Sven Mijnans, Sem Steijn, Jordy Clasie.

Torun (Poland), Ekstraklasa

Polish participant in playoff rounds.

Rakow Czestochowa (Poland), Ekstraklasa

Polish rising club. Squad: Fabian Piasecki, Bogdan Racovițan.

Qualifying-round participants fill remaining slots from smaller-coefficient leagues including Andorra, San Marino, Malta, and playoff losers from higher tiers.

Statistical context for 2025-26

League-phase average goals per match: ~2.6-2.8 (lower than UCL/UEL).

Average xG per team per match: 1.1-1.3.

Home advantage: ~55-58% win rate (elevated above UCL/UEL due to wider travel distances for visiting sides).

Upset frequency: highest of three UEFA club competitions. Knockout round variance is genuine.

How Tactiq reads UECL fixtures

Every match receives: probability triples with confidence indicator, expected goals, recent-form trends, written tactical analysis with particular attention to squad-rotation signals (which tend to be heavier in UECL than in UEL/UCL).

Confidence bands widen specifically in UECL because:

Participating clubs from smaller leagues have less consistent event-data feed quality
Squad rotation is heavier from top-seeded clubs
Style variance across competing sides is greater

The takeaway

UEFA Conference League 2025-26 features 36 clubs from across Europe's third tier and the clubs demoted from higher tiers. Chelsea enters as defending champions; Fiorentina, Roma (past winners), Olympiacos (recent winner) maintain strong traditions. Smaller-market clubs have genuine pathway to continental glory through the competition's relative openness.

Tactiq covers every UECL fixture with probability triples, confidence indicators, expected goals, and plain-language analysis. 1,200-plus competitions in total coverage, 32-language localisation, free tier of eight analyses per day, no credit card required.

Companion reads: UCL teams cornerstone, UEL teams cornerstone, the tactical UEL/UECL guide, the featured leagues cornerstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UEFA Conference League?

The UECL (UEFA Conference League) is Europe's third-tier club football competition, launched in 2021. It features 36 clubs from smaller-coefficient leagues or clubs eliminated from higher-tier competitions. Winner qualifies for next season's Europa League playoff round.

Which clubs have won the Conference League?

AS Roma (2021-22), West Ham United (2022-23), Olympiacos (2023-24), Chelsea (2024-25). The competition has been won by varied sides across different leagues, reflecting its competitive openness.

How is Conference League different from Europa League?

UECL participants are typically from smaller-coefficient leagues, have lower average Elo ratings, and feature clubs that might not otherwise get European football. The competition creates pathway for Eastern European, Nordic, and Balkan sides to gain continental experience and revenue.

Does Tactiq cover Conference League fixtures?

Yes. All Conference League league-phase and knockout matches receive full analysis with probability triples, confidence indicators, expected goals, and tactical reads. 1,200-plus competitions in total coverage.

Why are Conference League matches often unpredictable?

Squad rotation is heavier than UEL/UCL (top clubs treat UECL as tertiary). Style variance is wider (clubs from very different tactical traditions meet). Travel distances can be large. And the competition is less consistently watched by analytics providers, so data-quality asymmetry is real.

Can an Eastern European club win UECL?

Yes. Clubs from Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Greece and similar have reached deep rounds of Conference League. Olympiacos won in 2023-24. The format rewards tactical discipline and motivation as much as raw squad quality.