The draw for the UEFA Futsal Champions League Round of 16 for the 2026/27 season took place in Nyon, determining the pairings for the first playoff round of the tournament. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the official UEFA website. The major headline of the day is that for the first time in history, a pair of Ukrainian clubs — Kyiv's HIT and Dnipro's Athletic Futsal — have both made it to the playoffs, and the draw placed them in different brackets of the tournament tree.
Opponents of the Ukrainian Teams
Following the draw, Kyiv's HIT will face Italy's L84 Torino in the Round of 16, while Dnipro's Athletic Futsal will play against Kazakhstan's Semey. The first leg matches at this stage are scheduled for November 23, 2026, with the return legs taking place on December 4, 2026. Thus, both Ukrainian teams will have two matches to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Historical Scenario: A Potential 'Ukrainian' Quarterfinal
The structure of the bracket adds special interest to the draw: if both Ukrainian clubs successfully overcome their opponents, they will face each other in the quarterfinals. This means Ukraine is guaranteed to have a representative in the semifinals of the tournament — a scenario that has never happened in the history of the Futsal Champions League. It is this factor that makes the current campaign truly historic for Ukrainian futsal.
How HIT Reached the Playoffs
Kyiv's HIT finished second in their group, where their opponents were the Netherlands' Tigers Roermond, Spain's ElPozo Murcia, and Portugal's Benfica. The Kyiv side secured victories against the Dutch and Spanish teams, and also drew with the Portuguese side, advancing to the next round as a seeded team. This gave HIT an advantage in the bracket and set up their matchup against Italy's Torino.
Athletic's Debut and Group Stage Sensation
For Dnipro's Athletic Futsal, the current season is their debut in the Champions League, and the team immediately caused a sensation by winning their group. The group also featured the Czech Republic's Chrudim, Austria's Athletic Club Graz, and Serbia's Loznica-Grad 2018. The Dnipro team drew with the Czechs (3:3), defeated the Austrians (3:1) and the Serbs (3:2), allowing them to advance to the Round of 16, although Athletic did not make it into the seeded pot. Now both Ukrainian clubs can continue their historic season and fight for a place in the quarterfinals, while a potential meeting between them in the 1/4 finals turns this stage into a true all-Ukrainian final on the European arena.
