Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea confirmed their place in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side just couldn’t get going against Chelsea, who secured Champions League football with Levi Colwill’s winner.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s display came in for criticism, with many supporters keen to see him leave for Manchester City.
So it was a disappointing afternoon yesterday, but when the dust settles, the overwhelming feeling will be pride, as nobody expected Nottingham Forest to qualify for Europe.
The Tricky Trees will have to go through Conference League qualifiers before they’re drawn into the group stages, and with that said, here are all the key dates to have in your diaries.
Photo by Oliver Hardt - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Oliver Hardt – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Key dates for Nottingham Forest’s UEFA Conference League campaign
Nottingham Forest will have to play a two-legged qualifier in order to reach the group stages of the UEFA Conference League – that draw will take place on the 4th of August.
The East Midlanders will bypass the first three qualifying rounds and will automatically enter the final play-off stage.
That means Forest’s first action in the competition will be on the 21st and 28th of August, which is the Thursday after Premier League Matchday one, then the Thursday after Premier League Matchday two.
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If Forest successfully advance to the group stages, here are the dates for those six matches.
Matchday 1: 2 October 2025
Matchday 2: 23 October 2025
Matchday 3: 6 November 2025
Matchday 4: 27 November 2025
Matchday 5: 11 December 2025
Matchday 6: 18 December 2025
Dates for knockout rounds
Indeed, Forest will be expected to advance to the knockout stages of the Conference League, so these are the dates to note down.
Knockout phase play-offs: 19 and 26 February 2026
Round of 16: 12 and 19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 9 and 16 April 2026
Semi-final: 30 April and 7 May 2026
Final: 26 May
The final will be held in Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena, which has a maximum crowd capacity of around 47,000.
Evangelos Marinakis could become the first owner to win the Conference League with two different clubs, having led Olympiacos to glory in 2024.