Champions League league phase squads, player registration deadlines: All you need to know

The squads for the 36 UEFA Champions League league phase contenders must be submitted by 24:00 CET on Tuesday 2 September: we explain the rules.

The explanation below is for information only and is a simplified version of the rules contained in the official competition regulations.

When do clubs submit their squads?

Every club must submit two lists of players, including details such as shirt number, date of birth and nationality. In addition, the lists must include confirmation by the club's doctor that all players have undergone the requested medical examination. List A needs to be submitted to the relevant association to be verified, validated and forwarded to UEFA by 24:00 CET on Tuesday 2 September. The same process applies to List B (more details below), which must be submitted no later than 24:00 CET the day before each match.

When does the transfer window close?

Domestic transfer windows involving clubs in the Champions League league phase vary by nation. However, all clubs have to register their Champions League squads by 24:00 CET on Tuesday 2 September and any subsequent transfers will not be eligible for the league phase.

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 Champions League, Europa League or Conference League for another club as from the league phase.

Who can be on List A?

No club can have more than 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 (i.e. the period between the first and last official match of the relevant national championship) or of 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 (i.e. the period between the first and last official match of the relevant national championship) or of 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21.

What is List B?

A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 2004 and has, since his 15th birthday, been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.

Each club must include at least two goalkeepers on List A and at least three in total (List A and List B combined).

Clubs are entitled to register an unlimited number of players on List B during the season, but the list needs to be submitted no later than 24:00 CET the day before a match.

Can clubs change their squads again this season?

Yes, if they get through the league phase. Ahead of the knockout phase, clubs can register a maximum of three new players by 24:00 CET on 5 February 2025.

Any or all of the players from the above quota of three 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.

The overall limit of 25 players on List A remains, though, along with the quota of eight locally-trained players.

Are there exceptional rules for goalkeepers?

Yes, if at any point a club cannot count on the services of at least two goalkeepers registered on List A, a replacement after the relevant deadlines is permitted in the following cases and under the following conditions:

1. Long-term injury or illness (one that lasts at least 30 days as of the day the injury or illness occurred): A club may temporarily replace the goalkeeper concerned 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 new goalkeeper does not have to be locally trained, even if the replaced goalkeeper was.

2. Outgoing permanent transfer: A club may replace the goalkeeper concerned and register a new goalkeeper after Matchday 6 and before the end of the league phase. The new 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.