Real Sociedad: 10th in La Liga in 2025-26. They won the Copa del Rey after beating Atlético Madrid on penalties in the final, their fourth triumph in the competition. Mikel Oyarzabal is the team's star: captain, forward and symbol of the side, as well as a mainstay of Spain's World Cup-winning national team.
AZ Alkmaar: 7th in the Eredivisie. They won the KNVB Beker by beating NEC Nijmegen 5-1 in the final to claim the fifth title in their history. Peer Koopmeiners plays for AZ: Teun's brother, the Juventus midfielder, and one of the irreplaceable pillars in midfield.
Rennes: 6th in Ligue 1. Marseille knocked them out in the last 16 of the Coupe de France. Their most important player is Estéban Lepaul, Ligue 1's top scorer in 2025-26.
Ferencváros: 2nd in the Hungarian championship (NB I). They won the Magyar Kupa, lifting their 25th national trophy in the competition. The Hungarian side include Naby Keïta, the Guinean midfielder formerly of Liverpool.
Omonia Nicosia: champions of Cyprus, with their 22nd national title. They went out in the quarter-finals of the Cypriot Cup, which Pafos won.
Celta Vigo: 6th in La Liga and into the Europa League. They went out in the Copa del Rey round of 32 after Albacete knocked them out. Iago Aspas is the star, a forward, undisputed leader, record man and the team's technical and emotional reference point. There is also Marcos Alonso, an experienced defender with a past in the Premier League and Serie A (Fiorentina).
NEC Nijmegen: 3rd in the Eredivisie, their best finish in top-flight history. Runners-up in the KNVB Beker, they lost 5-1 to AZ Alkmaar. Up front there is Koki Ogawa, the Japanese forward who leads the line. In defence, the experienced Bram Nuytinck, former Udinese and Sampdoria centre-back and leader of the back line.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva: champions of Israel, claiming their fifth national title. They also reached the State Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
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