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Before the start of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund’s squad announcement has thrown up a few surprises. Captain Emre Can and two new signings have been left out for the league phase.

Borussia Dortmund have finalised their squad for the 2026/27 Champions League campaign. The A-list contains 24 senior players, while the group is completed by five youth players on the B-list. The biggest talking point is the omission of captain Emre Can, along with new arrivals Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma.

Can suffered a torn ACL in March and is still working towards his return. Although a comeback in the first half of the season is still possible, BVB have chosen not to register the 32-year-old for the league phase. If Dortmund progress to the next round, the club will be able to make changes to the squad again for the knockout stage.

As expected, Konstantelias is also unavailable because of his torn ACL. The Greece international, who joined from PAOK Thessaloniki in the summer, is set to remain sidelined for several more months. Lerma’s case is slightly different. The 18-year-old is also struggling with injury issues and, in the opinion of coach Niko Kovac, still needs more time to settle in. “There are language difficulties,” Kovac explained recently. In addition, Lerma is “still a bit slight” physically.

The club’s other new signings, however, can look forward to possible appearances in Europe’s top competition. Konstantinos Karetsas, Joane Gadou, Kauã Prates, Joey Veerman and Ethan Nwaneri have all been included in the registered squad. There is also an unusual listing involving Jobe Bellingham: UEFA has classified the natural central midfielder as a forward. However, that label does not affect his actual role within the team.

Also included in the Champions League squad through the B-list are Jan Luca Riedl, Miguel Adje, Luca Reggiani, Samuele Inacio and Mathis Albert.

The reason Dortmund registered only 24 players on the A-list instead of the maximum 25 is linked to UEFA regulations on locally trained players. BVB do not have a qualifying locally trained player, which means the remaining place in the squad cannot be filled in any other way. To begin their campaign, Niko Kovac’s side will take on Villarreal on Tuesday evening, September 8, at 9 p.m.