UEFA Champions League league phase player lists, registration and deadlines: All you need to know
by , UEFA.com · UEFA.comThe UEFA Champions League league phase contenders are busy sorting their player lists for the 2026/27 campaign. We explain the rules surrounding registrations and deadlines.
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Who is eligible to play?
To participate in UEFA Champions League matches, a player must be registered on either List A or List B in accordance with the competition regulations.
When do clubs submit their lists?
List A must be submitted by the club to UEFA and subsequently verified and validated by the relevant association by 23:59 CET on Wednesday 2 September 2026.
List B can be amended throughout the season and must be submitted no later than 23:59 CET on the day before the match in question.
The seven teams that qualify from the play-offs do not have to use the same lists in the league phase.
When does the transfer window close?
Domestic transfer windows involving clubs in the UEFA Champions League league phase vary by nation. However, all clubs have to register their UEFA Champions League lists by the above-mentioned 2 September deadline and any subsequent transfers will not be eligible for the league phase.
Who can be on List A?
Clubs are entitled to register a maximum of 25 players on List A during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers.
As a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players' and no club may have more than four 'association-trained players' listed among those eight places. If a club has fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly.
What's a 'locally trained player'?
There are two categories:
1. Club-trained players who have been registered with a club for three entire seasons (or 36 months) between the ages of 15 and 21.
2. Association-trained players who have been registered with a club or with other clubs affiliated to the same association for three entire seasons (or 36 months) between the ages of 15 and 21.
2026/27: Matches, draws, final
Who can be on List B?
Clubs are entitled to register an unlimited number of players on List B during the season, and each club must have at least three goalkeepers registered across Lists A and B combined.
A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 2005 and has, since his 15th birthday, been eligible to play for the club concerned for an uninterrupted period of two years, or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum one-year loan spell at a club from the same association.
Players aged 16 may also be registered if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.
Can clubs include players who were fielded in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League or in either of the other men's club competitions?
Yes. A player who has been fielded in the first, second or third qualifying round, or in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League, is entitled to play in the UEFA Champions League for another club as from the league phase.
Can clubs change their List A after the league phase is completed?
Yes. Clubs that qualify for the knockout phase may register a maximum of three new players by 23:59 CET on 4 February 2027. Any or all of those players may have been fielded for another club in the qualifying phase, play-offs or league phase of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League.
Clubs participating in domestic championships that start and end in the same calendar year are entitled to one or two additional player registrations in the cases set out in Article 32.02 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations.
The overall limit of 25 players on List A remains in place, as does the quota of eight locally-trained players.
Can clubs replace players in exceptional circumstances?
Yes. A replacement of an outfield player registered on List A is permitted in the case of a long-term injury or illness lasting at least 60 days. During the league phase, up to and including Matchday 6, a club may temporarily replace a maximum of one outfield player and register a new outfield player, provided that player was already registered with the club before the List A deadline of 2 September 2026. The locally trained players quota must continue to be respected. If the injured or ill player recovers before the end of the 60-day period, that player remains ineligible to participate in UEFA club competitions until the end of the period.
Are there exceptional rules for goalkeepers too?
Yes. A replacement after the relevant deadline is permitted in the following cases:
1. Long-term injury or illness lasting at least 30 days: A club may temporarily replace the goalkeeper and register a new one at any time during the season. If the injured or ill goalkeeper recovers before the end of this 30-day period, the player must remain off List A until the end of such period. The replacement goalkeeper does not have to be locally trained, even if the goalkeeper being replaced was.
2. Outgoing permanent transfer: A club may also replace a goalkeeper who leaves on a permanent transfer after Matchday 6 and before the end of the league phase. The replacement goalkeeper does not have to be locally trained, even if the replaced goalkeeper was. However, if the club qualifies for the knockout phase, the goalkeeper added during the league phase shall be considered as one of the three new players that may be registered for the knockout phase and, at this point, the quota of locally trained players on List A must be respected.
Want to learn more about player registration?
For more information consult Articles 30–32 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations.