AEK Athens in the 2026/27 Champions League: What are their fixtures? Who is in their squad?
Thursday, August 27, 2026
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Fixtures, squad, key player, coach profile, big summer signing and one to watch – all you need to know about 2026/27 Champions League contenders AEK Athens.
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AEK Athens are through to the UEFA Champions League proper for the first time since the 2018/19 season following victory in the play-offs. Get to know the Greek side.
At a glance: AEK Athens
UEFA coefficient ranking: 84
How they qualified: Play-off winners
Last season: Conference League quarter-finalists
UEFA coefficient rankings as at end of the 2025/26 season.
What are AEK Athens' Champions League fixtures and results?
You can keep track of AEK Athens' Champions League fixtures and results here.
Who is in AEK Athens' Champions League squad?
AEK Athens' Champions League squad can be found here.
Coach: Marko Nikolić
Nikolić won league titles in Serbia and Hungary during the 2010s and added a Greek championship to his haul with AEK last term. The Serbian coach was rewarded with a contract extension until 2029 after such a successful debut campaign.
Key player: Luka Jović
Jović won attention with a stellar campaign in 2018/19, scoring 17 league goals and ten UEFA Europa League goals for Eintracht Frankfurt. A move to Real Madrid followed but Jović never really found his feet in the Spanish capital, arriving in Athens in 2025 via Fiorentina and Milan. Seventeen goals in 29 league games marked an impressive first season in Greece.
Big summer signing: Oleksandr Zubkov
Experienced winger Zubkov arrives in Athens after helping Trabzonspor to a Turkish Cup success last season. The Ukraine international has impressive creative faculties, highlighted by 12 league assists in 2025/26, and adds Champions League experience to the AEK dressing room from his time with Shakhtar and Ferencváros.
One to watch: Zini
Angola international Zini was used somewhat sparingly in his first AEK season but showed plenty of attacking promise when on the field, most of all in the Conference League quarter-finals when his two second-leg goals almost inspired a turnaround against Rayo Vallecano.
AEK Athens' 2025/26 season
AEK Athens won their 14th Greek league title and enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup and the Conference League in Nikolić’s first season in charge.
What is AEK Athens' best Champions League finish?
AEK progressed to the quarter-finals of the 1968/69 European Cup before being defeated by Spartak Trnava.
Did you know?
AEK Athens have reached the group stage/league phase of the Champions League once in each of the past four decades.
