Azerbaijan's Araz-Nakhchivan will enter the 2026/27 UEFA Futsal Champions League from the main round, İdman.Biz reports, citing the Azerbaijan Futsal Federation.
A total of 56 clubs representing 52 national associations will compete for the European title. The 32 lowest-ranked teams will start in the preliminary round, where they will be divided into eight groups of four. Only the group winners will progress to the main round on Path B.
Ranked 21st in the UEFA club standings, Araz-Nakhchivan has secured a direct place in the main round. Under the competition format, eight clubs ranked between 12th-15th and 20th-23rd will be joined by the eight preliminary round winners. Only the winner of each group will qualify for the Round of 16.
UEFA has confirmed the hosts for the Path B mini-tournaments. Poland's Piast, Serbia's Loznica-Grad 2018, Italy's L84 Torino and Luxembourg's Differdange 03 will stage the groups after receiving approval from UEFA.
Araz-Nakhchivan has been placed in Pot 2, meaning it cannot be drawn against fellow Pot 2 teams L84 Torino, Differdange 03 or Ukraine's Athletic. As a result, the Azerbaijani club will play its main round matches either in Poland or Serbia.
The preliminary round is scheduled for August 25-30, while the main round will take place from October 27 to November 1.
Under a decision by the UEFA Executive Committee, clubs from Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, as well as Ukraine and Belarus, cannot be drawn against each other.
