UEFA Europa Conference League
EuropeConference League 2026/27: Ajax, Atalanta and Brighton begin the league phase
The UEFA Conference League is Europe's third club competition. Its league phase has 36 clubs, each playing six matches against six different opponents. The top eight go straight into the round of 16, the sides from 9th to 24th play a two-legged knockout play-off, and the bottom twelve are eliminated. The knockout rounds are played over two legs, up to a one-off final.
Reaching the league phase took a long road: 258 qualifying and play-off matches produced 754 goals. FC Sion's Winsley Boteli Mokango scored seven of them, though Sion were knocked out by Ajax in the play-off round, and Lugano's Kevin Behrens scored six.
The league phase starts on Thursday, 15 October. The field includes Ajax, Atalanta, Brighton, Monaco, SC Freiburg, Getafe, Braga, FC Copenhagen, Crvena Zvezda and Trabzonspor. On the opening night Hajduk Split host Ajax, Atalanta face Pafos, Brighton meet Kauno Žalgiris, and FC Copenhagen take on Braga.
Top scorers
- 1Winsley Boteli Mokango
- 2K. Behrens
- 3Robert
- 4M. Pjaca
- 5E. Kara
Top assists
- 1M. Elyounoussi
- 2A. Cornelius
- 3Ricardo Horta
- 4N. Røjkjær
- 5M. Emil Madsen
Goal contributions
- 1Winsley Boteli Mokango
- 2K. Behrens
- 3M. Elyounoussi
- 4Robert
- 5M. Pjaca
Yellow cards
- 1Niklas Castro
- 2Miguel Changa Chaiwa
- 3Jasse Tuominen
- 4Janne-Pekka Laine
- 5Chico
Red cards
- 1B. Nash
- 2Yiandro Raap
- 3Juan Bedouret
- 4Gustavo Vintecinco
- 5Vasile Luchita
