{
  "id": 3591266,
  "title": "Stunning comeback sees Sabah reach Champions League for the first time",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/stunning-comeback-sees-sabah-reach-champions-league-for-the-first-time",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T21:01:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport Football",
    "slug": "bbc-sport-football",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/videos/c9v9pp9zmkko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Sabah, an Azerbaijani side, has secured a spot in the main draw of the Champions League for the first time in their history. They achieved this by coming back from a 4-2 deficit on aggregate to beat Hapoel Be'er Sheva of Israel 6-4 on aggregate, according to BBC Sport Football and BBC Sport.\n\nThe Champions League for the 2026-27 season will feature 36 teams, including Sabah FK, Bodø/Glimt, LASK, AEK Athens, Viking FK, and Fenerbahçe, as reported by Yahoo Sports. The League Phase portion of the tournament is set to kick off on September 8.\n\nThe draw for the League Phase fixtures will take place in Monaco. The teams will be divided into pots, with PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and other top teams in Pot 1, as per Yahoo Sports.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DutchNews",
        "title": "NEC out of Champions League after early red card kills hopes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/nec-out-of-champions-league-after-early-red-card-kills-hopes",
        "published": "2026-08-26T07:34:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Bodo return to Champions League, Azerbaijan’s Sabah deny Israeli Beer-Sheva",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/bodo-return-to-champions-league-azerbaijans-sabah-deny-israeli-beer",
        "published": "2026-08-26T09:00:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "When is the Champions League draw? 2026-27 UCL date and time",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/when-is-the-champions-league-draw-2026-27-ucl-date-and-time",
        "published": "2026-08-26T10:08:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Aden McCarthy celebrates historic UEFA Champions League spot with Sabah FC",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/aden-mccarthy-celebrates-historic-uefa-champions-league-spot-with",
        "published": "2026-08-26T14:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}