VfB Stuttgart has officially submitted its player squad for the 2026-27 Champions League group stage. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß's team has registered one fewer player than permitted because it cannot fully meet UEFA's quota for locally trained players. Their European debut against Norwegian side Viking Stavanger is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 p.m.
The squad comprises only 24 players instead of the possible 25. This is due to a specific UEFA regulation. For the Champions League squad, at least eight so-called "locally trained players" must be registered. Of these eight, a maximum of four can have been trained at another club within the same national association, with at least four having received their training directly at the registering club. A player is considered locally trained if he was registered with his current club or another club in the same association for three full seasons or 36 months between the ages of 15 and 21. VfB could not meet this quota, forcing the squad to be reduced.
The two most prominent absentees are centre-back Leonidas Stergiou and midfielder Badredine Bouanani. Stergiou was on loan at 1. FC Heidenheim last season and also featured in the Bundesliga opener against Bayern Munich (1:5). Bouanani, however, has never managed to establish himself as a regular starter in Stuttgart. Also not in the A-squad are young talents Jeremy Arevalo and Justin Diehl. Defender Dan-Axel Zagadou is absent due to a long-term injury. Goalkeeper Dennis Seimen is on the separate B-list but is currently sidelined himself with a thigh injury. Seimen, born on 1 December 2005 and at VfB since 2015, qualifies for the B-list as he was born on or after 1 January 2005 and has been eligible since the age of 15.
Nominated for the Champions League are goalkeepers Fabian Bredlow and Marius Funk. In defence, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Lorenz Assignon, Jeff Chabot, Ramon Hendriks, Luca Jaquez, Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstädt, and Josha Vagnoman are available. The inclusion of Alexander Groiß and Dominik Nothnagel from the second team is notable. In midfield, Bilal El Khannouss, Chris Führich, Atakan Karazor, Jamie Leweling, Nikolas Nartey, Grischa Prömel, Angelo Stiller, and Tiago Tomas are listed. Up front, VfB will rely on Ermedin Demirovic, Dzenan Pejcinovic, Leo Sauer, and Deniz Undav. The complete overview of all players can be found on our squad page.
The squad planning for Europe comes against the backdrop of a difficult Bundesliga start. VfB Stuttgart sits in 18th place after the 1:5 opening defeat to Bayern Munich. The record after one match: zero points, one goal scored and five conceded, resulting in a goal difference of minus four. In the table, the Swabians are already three points behind leaders Bayern Munich. The current form guide is marked with an "L" for the loss. The next chance for points comes as early as Thursday, 4 September, in the home match against 1. FC Köln, who are currently in sixth place. The full schedule and current table can be followed on our fixtures and standings pages.
Besides the opening opponent Viking Stavanger, the draw has handed VfB Stuttgart a challenging group. Other opponents in the group stage are Slovan Bratislava, Atlético Madrid, Galatasaray Istanbul, Inter Milan, OSC Lille, Club Brugge, and PSV Eindhoven. The Swabians must assert themselves in this field to reach the round of 16. Preparation for these European tasks runs parallel to the tightly packed Bundesliga schedule. The first group match on Wednesday is the starting signal for this ambitious double programme.
