FC Porto have submitted their squad list for the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase, with two notable omissions. New Brazilian signing Gabriel Mec and Croatian centre-back Dominik Prpic have been left out of the 25-man squad.
The Dragons, who currently sit top of the Primeira Liga with 12 points from four straight wins, face tough decisions due to UEFA regulations. European competition rules allow a maximum of 17 non-locally trained players in the main squad. The omission of the 18-year-old forward, recently arrived from Grêmio, and Prpic, who has yet to play an official minute this season, reflects this strategic management. The team prepares to host Manchester City on Tuesday at the Estádio do Dragão, in their 28th appearance in the competition they have won twice.
Manager Sérgio Conceição has registered four goalkeepers for the European campaign. Diogo Costa, João Costa, Cláudio Ramos and João Afonso are the options between the posts. In defence, seven players were registered: Jan Bednarek, Nehuén Pérez, Jakub Kiwior, Zaidu, João Souza, Alberto Costa and Francisco Moura. Zaidu, however, is recovering from a serious injury and is expected to miss some of the eight league phase matches.
The midfield features six names: Pablo Rosario, Alan Varela, Victor Froholdt, Seko Fofana, Hwang In-Beom and Gabri Veiga. In attack, the list presents seven options: Pepê, William Gomes, Borja Sainz, Oskar Pietuszewski, Santiago Gimenez, André Silva and Samu. The latter, like Zaidu, is also currently injured. Fans can view the full squad composition on our squad page.
The exclusion of Gabriel Mec, a young talent expected to be one for the future, is tied to the limited slots for players not trained in Portugal. Priority was given to elements with more experience or who better fit the immediate needs of the squad for a demanding league phase. Dominik Prpic, on the other hand, has not been an option this season, a fact reflected in this administrative decision.
In contrast, youngster Martim Fernandes meets the criteria for UEFA's List B, being eligible to be used without occupying a spot in the main squad. This requires being born on or after 1 January 2005 and having been trained at the club for at least two years. This is a valuable tool for the Dragons to manage an extensive squad.
The team arrives at this European moment in strong domestic form. FC Porto leads the Primeira Liga with a perfect record: four wins from four games, nine goals scored and none conceded. This run of results puts them two points clear of Sporting CP. The next fixture is this Wednesday, September 4th, against Moreirense at the Dragão. The visitors currently occupy 11th place in the league table.
This solid start in the Portuguese league, which can be followed on our standings page, provides confidence for the start of the new Champions League league phase. The revamped format of Europe's premier competition places all 36 participants in a single league, where the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16. Those finishing between 9th and 24th will contest a play-off, while the bottom 12 are eliminated. FC Porto, European champions in 1987 and 2004, aims for a long run. The first test is a major one, against Manchester City, and the details of all fixtures are available on our fixtures calendar.
