UEFA has not reinstated Russian clubs in European competitions. What does the new eligibility list mean?

UEFA has not made any decisions regarding the return of Russian clubs to European competitions. Reports from some sources on September 11 claiming that Russian teams were allegedly allocated four spots in European tournaments for the 2027–28 season misinterpret the organization’s document.

UEFA has indeed published a new access list—a list of clubs eligible for club competitions for the 2027/28 season. This document determines the allocation of spots among national associations each year based on their position in the coefficient rankings and the current tournament rules.

However, the inclusion of “RF” in materials related to the allocation of spots does not mean that Russian clubs have been allowed to participate in European club competitions. The access list in and of itself is not a decision regarding the admission of specific teams.

Moreover, in the current allocation for the 2027–28 season, Russia has zero spots in the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. This is directly related to the ongoing suspension of Russian clubs.

UEFA is upholding the decision made after the start of the full-scale war. In February 2022, the organization, together with FIFA, suspended all Russian clubs and national teams from participating in its competitions until further notice.

This decision has not been revoked. Furthermore, UEFA’s official documents regarding the current 2026/27 season explicitly state that all Russian teams remain suspended from participating in UEFA tournaments until further notice.

Consequently, the Russian champion did not receive a spot in the Champions League qualifiers, the Russian Cup winner did not receive a spot in the Europa League, and the second- and third-place teams in the Russian league did not receive spots in the Conference League.

This is not about the return of Russian clubs, but rather a technical document that defines the structure of access to European club competitions and the rules for allocating spots among associations. If, in the future, UEFA adopts a separate decision to lift Russia’s suspension, it will then be necessary to determine how Russian clubs can be admitted to competitions in accordance with the current rules. But for now, no such decision has been made.

Claims by some sources that UEFA “has allocated four European club competition spots to Russian clubs for the first time since the war began” are incorrect. UEFA has not adopted any decision regarding the return of Russian teams to European club competitions.

Interestingly, in UEFA’s list of qualifiers for the 2027–28 Champions League, the winner of the 2026–27 UPL season is placed in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, if Russia’s disqualification remains in effect, the number of Q1 matchups will be reduced, and the Ukrainian champion will automatically be moved to the second qualifying round (Q2).

List of teams qualifying for the 2027/28 Champions League, published by UEFA (file)