UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League path results: Chelsea, Benfica, Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Athletic Club lead qualifiers
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
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The 22 teams through from the league phase to the round of 32 are decided.
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The UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League path league is complete with 22 teams through to the round of 32.
In the UEFA Champions League path, the fixture list mirrored the first six matchdays of the league phase in the senior competition. The top 22 clubs progress to the round of 32.
The clubs ranked 1 to 6 will be drawn at home to the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will visit the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path. The round of 32 draw is on Friday 12 December.
Through to round of 32
1st–6th place: Chelsea, Benfica, Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Athletic Club
7th–16th place: Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter, Ajax, Liverpool
17th–22nd place: Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV, Slavia Praha, Frankfurt, Marseille
Domestic champions path qualifiers: AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo-Minsk, Dynamo Kyiv, HJK Helsinki, Legia Warszawa, Köln, Maccabi Haifa, Puskás Akadémia, Real Betis, Žilina
Athletic Club, Atleti, Chelsea, Club Brugge and Real Madrid sealed progress on Matchday 4. In the penultimate set of fixtures they were joined by holders Barcelona, Benfica, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP and Villarreal, before Tottenham, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Ajax, Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV, Slavia Praha, Frankfurt and Marseille progressed in the final week.
Chelsea topped the table on 16 points, earning a home round of 32 tie along with Benfica, Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Villarreal and Athletic Club. Madrid won their first five games but lost to Man City on Matchday 6; still, they and Atleti both keep up their records of making it past the league phase/group stage in all 12 UEFA Youth League seasons.
Also on Matchday 6, Ajax's Emre Unuvar's hat-trick at Qarabağ meant he equalled the record of nine goals in a league phase/group stage set by Roberto Núñez of Atleti in 2015/16.
League phase results
Matchday 6
Wednesday 10 December
Qarabağ 0-8 Ajax
Benfica 3-0 Napoli
Villarreal 2-0 Copenhagen
Athletic Club 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Newcastle United
Club Brugge 2-1 Arsenal
Juventus 2-2 Pafos
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Bodø/Glimt
Real Madrid 0-4 Manchester City
Tuesday 9 December
Kairat Almaty 2-0 Olympiacos
Bayern München 3-3 Sporting CP
Atalanta 1-3 Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Slavia Praha
PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Atlético de Madrid
Union Saint-Gilloise 1-4 Marseille
Monaco 5-0 Galatasaray
Barcelona 4-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Inter 5-0 Liverpool
Matchday 5
Wednesday 26 November
Pafos 0-3 Monaco
Copenhagen 2-2 Kairat Almaty
Arsenal 4-2 Bayern München
Sporting CP 2-1 Club Brugge
Paris Saint-Germain 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool 1-0 PSV Eindhoven
Olympiacos 0-2 Real Madrid
Atlético de Madrid 4-1 Inter
Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 Atalanta
Tuesday 25 November
Bodø/Glimt 2-6 Juventus
Galatasaray 1-1 Union Saint-Gilloise
Ajax 0-4 Benfica
Slavia Praha 3-3 Athletic Club
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona
Napoli 2-0 Qarabağ
Marseille 2-0 Newcastle United
Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Villarreal
Manchester City 6-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Matchday 4
Wednesday 5 November
Qarabağ 0-5 Chelsea
Benfica 5-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Pafos 0-2 Villarreal
Ajax 7-2 Galatasaray
Marseille 0-0 Atalanta
Club Brugge 2-0 Barcelona
Inter 3-0 Kairat Almaty
Manchester City 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Newcastle United 2-3 Athletic Club
Tuesday 4 November
Bodø/Glimt 0-7 Monaco
Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Slavia Praha 5-1 Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Bayern München
Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Copenhagen
Juventus 2-2 Sporting CP
Liverpool 0-4 Real Madrid
Olympiacos 2-2 PSV Eindhoven
Atlético de Madrid 5-0 Union Saint-Gilloise
Matchday 3
Wednesday 22 October
Galatasaray 3-2 Bodø/Glimt
Athletic Club 3-0 Qarabağ
Monaco 2-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Atalanta 2-0 Slavia Praha
Chelsea 6-3 Ajax
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-5 Liverpool
Sporting CP 2-1 Marseille
Bayern München 0-3 Club Brugge
Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus
Tuesday 21 October
Kairat Almaty 1-3 Pafos
Barcelona 3-0 Olympiacos
Villarreal 2-1 Manchester City
Arsenal 3-4 Atlético de Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain
PSV Eindhoven 0-0 Napoli
Union Saint-Gilloise 1-2 Inter
Newcastle United 1-5 Benfica
Copenhagen 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Matchday 2
Wednesday 1 October
Qarabağ 0-5 Copenhagen
Villarreal 1-0 Juventus
Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 PSV Eindhoven
Napoli 1-1 Sporting CP
Arsenal 1-2 Olympiacos
Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 Newcastle United
Monaco 3-5 Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund 0-4 Athletic Club
Barcelona 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain
Tuesday 30 September
Kairat Almaty 1-4 Real Madrid
Bodø/Glimt 0-6 Tottenham Hotspur
Pafos 0-3 Bayern München
Galatasaray 0-2 Liverpool
Atalanta 0-2 Club Brugge
Marseille 3-5 Ajax
Chelsea 5-2 Benfica
Inter 2-2 Slavia Praha
Atlético de Madrid 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Matchday 1
Thursday 18 September
Copenhagen 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 Galatasaray
Sporting CP 3-2 Kairat Almaty
Club Brugge 1-0 Monaco
Manchester City 2-0 Napoli
Newcastle United 2-3 Barcelona
Wednesday 17 September
Olympiacos 4-0 Pafos
Slavia Praha 5-0 Bodø/Glimt
Paris Saint-Germain 5-1 Atalanta
Ajax 1-1 Inter
Liverpool 0-0 Atlético de Madrid
Bayern München 2-3 Chelsea
Tuesday 16 September
Athletic Club 3-1 Arsenal
Benfica 7-1 Qarabağ
PSV Eindhoven 6-2 Union Saint-Gilloise
Juventus 2-3 Borussia Dortmund
Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Villarreal
Real Madrid 3-2 Marseille
League phase: What happens if teams are level on points?
If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the league phase matches then, as per paragraph 16.01 of the competition regulations, the following criteria wee applied, in this order, to determine their rankings:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
f. Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents
g. Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents
h. Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents
i. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all league phase matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points)
j. Drawing of lots
Between Matchday 1 and Matchday 5, teams that were level on points were separated using the following criteria:
a. Superior goal difference in the league phase
b. Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
c. Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
d. Higher number of wins in the league phase
e. Higher number of away wins in the league phase
If teams were still equal in all aspects with the application of these criteria, they were given equal ranking in the table, ordered alphabetically based on their abbreviated name.
Team guide
• Along with holders Barcelona, the first three-time winners, other past champions involved in this path are twice victors Chelsea, plus Benfica, Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Paris Saint-Germain are past runners-up.
• Atleti, Barcelona, Bayern, Benfica, Manchester City, Paris and Real Madrid maintain their perfect record of having entered all 12 editions of this competition, which began in 2013/14 (the 2020/21 edition was cancelled).
• Inter topped the new-look league phase last season with a perfect 18 points, two ahead of Sporting CP and AZ Alkmaar (who are in the domestic champions path this term). Inter, like Man City and Olympiacos (who began their title defence from the domestic champions path) were to reach the quarter-finals.
• Making their competition debuts in this path were Bodø/Glimt and Union SG.
Format
The UEFA Youth League introduced a new format in 2024/25, adapting to the format change of the senior UEFA club competitions.
As before, the contenders are split into two paths, the UEFA Champions League path and the domestic champions path, both of which are played through the rest of the year, before they come together for the knockout phase in 2026.
The UEFA Champions League path includes the 36 youth teams of the clubs that have qualified for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. The league stage will mirror the Champions League league phase but is limited to the first six matchdays, with the same matches played in both competitions (three at home and three away).
The top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.
A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards. The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final) played at the traditional venue of Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon, Switzerland.
Knockout draw and match dates
Round of 32 draw: 12 December, Nyon
Round of 32: 3/4 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 6 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 24/25 February
Quarter-finals: 17/18 March
Semi-finals: 17 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
Final: 20 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)