Best European Football Leagues to Bet On

GNK Dinamo Zagreb will face Viking FK in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 Play-Off Round on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, Croatia. The Croatian champions booked their place in this round after dismantling Lithuanian side FK Kauno Žalgiris 7-1 on aggregate in the previous qualifying stage. Viking FK, meanwhile, earned their spot by navigating through the earlier rounds of Norwegian domestic qualification. The match kicks off at 19:00 UTC (21:00 local time) and will be followed by the return leg on August 26, 2026, at SR-Bank Arena in Stavanger.

Both clubs have assembled their squads for the 2026/2027 season with ambitions of reaching the Champions League group stage. Dinamo Zagreb's roster includes key figures such as captain Josip Mišić, defenders Scott McKenna and Raúl Torrente, midfielders Luka Stojković, Miha Zajc and Gabriel Vidović, and attacking options led by Dion Drena Beljo, Arbër Hoxha and veteran Mislav Oršić. Viking FK counters with a squad featuring goalkeeper Arild Østbø, defenders Henrik Heggheim and Gianni Stensness, midfielders Kristoffer Askildsen, Joe Bell and Simen Kvia-Egeskog, and forwards Peter Christiansen, Zlatko Tripić and Niklas Fuglestad.

Fenerbahçe will host Olympique Lyon in the first leg of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League playoff round on August 18, 2026, at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, with the return leg scheduled for August 26 at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu. The winner of this two-legged tie will secure a coveted place in the Champions League league phase, while the loser will drop into the Europa League. Fenerbahçe arrives after a flawless qualifying campaign, eliminating Górnik Zabrze and Sturm Graz without conceding a single goal, while Lyon advanced by overturning a first-leg deficit to defeat Sparta Prague 4–2 on aggregate.

The 2026–27 Fenerbahçe squad features a star-studded lineup built for European success, with Anderson Talisca leading the attack after scoring four goals in four Champions League qualifying appearances. Head coach İsmail Kartal can call upon key reinforcements including Mason Greenwood, Romelu Lukaku, N'Golo Kanté, Mattéo Guendouzi, Marco Asensio, and Milan Škriniar, while the defensive unit anchored by Mert Günok, Nélson Semedo, Nathan Aké, and Jayden Oosterwolde has kept three consecutive clean sheets in Europe. The Yellow Canaries have shown formidable home form in domestic competition, recently recording a 4-1 victory over Gaziantep and a 2-0 win against Samsunspor, demonstrating the attacking depth that makes them favorites to end their 18-year absence from the Champions League group stage.

Levski Sofia host AEK Athens on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov in Sofia for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying play-offs. The Bulgarian champions have navigated a grueling path to reach this stage, eliminating Borac Banja Luka, Universitatea Craiova, and Kairat across six qualifying matches to set up this decisive tie. With a place in the lucrative Champions League league phase on the line, both sides will treat this two-legged affair as a season-defining moment. Levski enter the contest in strong domestic form, having recently recorded a 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Plovdiv in league action, while the return leg is scheduled for August 25 at the OPAP Arena in Athens.

The 2026/2027 Levski Sofia squad under manager Julio Velázquez blends emerging talent with seasoned campaigners. Goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov anchors the defence, supported by centre-backs Kristian Dimitrov and Christian Makoun, with Álex Centelles operating at left-back. The midfield pivot of Mehdi Moubarik and Asen Mitkov provides balance, while the attacking trio of David Kusso, Mazire Soula, and Armstrong Oko-Flex supplies creativity and pace. Reinaldo and Juan Perea offer focal points in attack, with summer additions like Maicon and Everton Bala adding further depth. Their resilience was evident in a recent hard-fought 1-2 away win against Lokomotiv Sofia.

Celtic welcome Austrian champions LASK to Celtic Park on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, for the first leg of a high-stakes UEFA Champions League play-off tie. The Scottish champions are determined to erase the memory of last season's heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to Kairat Almaty at the same stage, which denied them a place in the lucrative league phase. Manager Martin O'Neill has assembled a formidable squad for the 2026/2027 campaign, blending experience with exciting new talent. The Hoops enter this clash in excellent domestic form, having swept aside Kilmarnock 1-5 on the road in their most recent outing, with Danish striker Kasper Høgh netting a hat-trick. They also opened their Scottish Premiership defence with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Dundee FC at Paradise, where Benjamin Nygren scored the decisive goal.

LASK arrive in Glasgow as surprise Austrian Bundesliga champions and cup winners, completing a historic domestic double under head coach Didi Kuhbauer. The Linz-based club have never reached the Champions League group stage in their history and stand just 180 minutes away from rewriting that record. Their squad for the 2026/2027 season features a mix of domestic talent and international recruits, including summer signing Samuel Adeniran, who has already made an impact up front. LASK's recent form has been encouraging; they kicked off their new league campaign with a convincing 3-0 triumph over Grazer AK at the Raiffeisen Arena, with Adeniran among the scorers. However, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sturm Graz in a Championship Group fixture back in April, a reminder that they can be contained by organised opposition.

The UEFA Champions League qualifying play-offs first leg between Hapoel Beer Sheva and Sabah Baku is scheduled for Wednesday, 19 August 2026 at the Superbet Arena-Giulești in Bucharest. This marks a historic occasion as the two sides have never faced each other before. Beer Sheva earned their place in this round with a stunning 3-0 aggregate victory over Serbian giants Crvena Zvezda, while Sabah Baku advanced by eliminating AGF 5-2 on aggregate and dispatching Aarhus 4-0 in the third qualifying round.

Both clubs have assembled competitive squads for the 2026/2027 season. Hapoel Beer Sheva will rely on key figures such as goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, defenders Guy Mizrahi and Miguel Vítor, midfielders Kings Kangwa and Eliel Peretz, and forward Igor Zlatanović. However, they will be without the injured trio of Djibril Diop, Pedro Amador, and João Victor. Sabah Baku counters with a well-balanced roster featuring goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov, defenders Steve Solvet and Tymoteusz Puchacz, midfielders Veljko Simić, Joy-Lance Mickels and Aleksey Isayev, and forwards Orphé Mbina and Christian Nwachukwu, with no reported absentees ahead of the clash.