Conference League Matchday 3: Monaco host Nordsjælland, Balogun added to squad
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Monaco, winners of their first two Conference League games, added U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to their squad.
Hearts are missing 10 players, and one Matchday 3 game is rated high risk.
Background
The UEFA Conference League is European club football's third-tier competition; its 2026/27 league phase has 36 clubs each playing six matches, running from Oct 15 to Dec 17. Monaco, the French club, won their opening two games against CSKA Sofia and Freiburg, and on Nov 3 they added U.S. striker Folarin Balogun — used only as a substitute this season — to their competition squad, while Ansu Fati dropped off the list. Matchday 3 on Nov 5 brings 18 fixtures, including Atalanta–Kairat, Midtjylland–Ajax, Getafe–Brighton and Monaco–Nordsjælland.
How it unfolded
- Oct 15, 2026The 2026/27 league phase kicked off; Matchday 1 included Lugano 3-2 Crvena Zvezda, Hajduk Split 2-1 Ajax and Brighton 4-0 Kauno Žalgiris.
- Oct 22, 2026Matchday 2 included Getafe 2-5 Lugano, Ajax 2-0 Atalanta, Monaco 3-0 Freiburg and Thun 0-1 Hajduk Split.
- Nov 3, 2026Folarin Balogun was added to Monaco's Conference League squad on UEFA's website; Ansu Fati, injured against Lille on Oct 25, was no longer listed.
- Nov 5, 2026Matchday 3: 18 matches scheduled, including Atalanta–Kairat, Midtjylland–Ajax, Thun–Hearts, Getafe–Brighton and Monaco–Nordsjælland; Lincoln Red Imps v Hajduk Split was classified high risk.
- Nov 26, 2026Hearts are set to host Monaco.
- Dec 17, 2026The league phase ends, with Hearts away to Pafos on the final day.
Key terms
- league phase
- The stage of a UEFA club competition in which all qualified teams play a set of matches to determine who advances.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Caution
- GBC News reported that the Lincoln Red Imps v Hajduk Split match has been classified as high risk.
- Analysts
- The Scotsman noted Hearts are without 10 first-team players, leaving head coach Wouter Vrancken to assemble a side chasing a first win in the competition.
Still unverified
French daily L'Equipe reported that Ansu Fati is sidelined for two months; Balogun was reportedly close to joining Everton for a reported 40 million pounds ($54 million) on the summer transfer deadline day.