2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying

2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying was the preliminary phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification consists of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It began on 8 July and will end on 27 August 2025.[1]

A total of 53 teams will compete in the qualifying system of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League, with 42 teams in Champions Path and 11 teams in League Path. The seven winners in the play-off round (five from Champions Path, two from League Path) advanced to the league stage, to join the 29 teams that entered in the league stage.[2]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Format

The qualifying phase and play-off round will be split into two paths – the Champions Path and the League Path. The Champions Path will contain teams which qualified as the winners of their domestic league, and the League Path will contain teams which qualified as runners-up, third-placed or fourth-placed teams from their domestic league.

Each tie will be played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the next round. If the aggregate score is level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time will be played, and if the same number of goals is scored by both teams during extra time, the tie will be determined by a penalty shoot-out.[3]

In the draws for each round, teams will be seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round may not be known at the time of the draws, the seeding will be carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to the subsequent round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient advances, it will simply take the seeding of its opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee purely for the convenience of the draw and not to resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA cannot be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie may be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[1]

Schedule for 2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
First qualifying round 17 June 2025 8–9 July 2025 15–16 July 2025
Second qualifying round 18 June 2025 22–23 July 2025 29–30 July 2025
Third qualifying round 21 July 2025 5–6 August 2025 12–13 August 2025
Play-off round 4 August 2025 19–20 August 2025 26–27 August 2025

Teams

The information below reflects Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA.

Champions Path

The Champions Path includes all league champions which do not qualify directly for the league phase, and consists of the following rounds:

  • First qualifying round (28 teams): 28 teams which enter in this round.
  • Second qualifying round (24 teams): 10 teams which enter in this round, and 14 winners of the first qualifying round.
  • Third qualifying round (12 teams): 12 winners of the second qualifying round.
  • Play-off round (10 teams): 4 teams which enter in this round, and 6 winners of the third qualifying round.

The default access list may be altered based on the qualifying teams' 2025 UEFA club coefficients should the winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League also qualify for the 2025–26 edition via their domestic league.

All teams eliminated from the Champions Path enter either the Europa League or the Conference League:

Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients),[4] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to league phase
Losers of play-off round enter Europa League league phase
Losers of third qualifying round enter Europa League play-off round
Losers of second qualifying round enter Europa League third qualifying round
Losers of the first qualifying round that received a bye enter Conference League third qualifying round
Losers of the first qualifying round enter Conference League second qualifying round
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[4]
Bodø/Glimt 49.000
Celtic 38.000
Basel 33.000
Sturm Graz 23.000
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[4]
Copenhagen 44.875
Red Star Belgrade 44.000
Ferencváros 39.000
Maccabi Tel Aviv 37.500
Slovan Bratislava 33.500
Qarabağ 32.000
Dynamo Kyiv 23.500
Lech Poznań 19.000
Rijeka 12.000
Pafos 11.125
First qualifying round
Team Coeff.[4]
Ludogorets Razgrad 24.000
FCSB 22.500
Olimpija Ljubljana 17.375
Malmö FF 14.500
Žalgiris 12.000
RFS 11.000
Zrinjski Mostar 10.000
Lincoln Red Imps 10.000
KuPS 10.000
The New Saints 9.000
Drita 9.000
Breiðablik 9.000
Linfield 8.500
Budućnost Podgorica 8.000
Inter Club d'Escaldes 7.500
Shkëndija 7.500
FCI Levadia 6.500
Dinamo Minsk 6.000
Hamrun Spartans 6.000
Kairat 5.500
Milsami Orhei 5.500
Noah 5.000
Differdange 03 5.000
Iberia 1999 4.500
Víkingur 4.000
Shelbourne 2.993
Egnatia 2.500
Virtus 1.500

League Path

The League Path includes all league non-champions which did not qualify directly for the league phase, and consisted of the following rounds:

  • Second qualifying round (6 teams): 6 teams which enter in this round.
  • Third qualifying round (8 teams): 5 teams which enter in this round, and 3 winners of the second qualifying round.
  • Play-off round (4 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round.

All teams eliminated from the League Path enter the Europa League:

Below were the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients),[4] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to league phase
Losers of play-off round enter Europa League league phase
Losers of third qualifying round enter Europa League league phase
Losers of second qualifying round enter Europa League third qualifying round
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[4]
Benfica 87.750
Club Brugge 71.750
Feyenoord 71.000
Fenerbahçe 47.250
Nice 20.000
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[4]
Rangers 71.250
Red Bull Salzburg 48.000
Viktoria Plzeň 39.250
Panathinaikos 16.000
Servette 11.500
Brann 7.937

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.

Seeding

A total of 28 teams will play in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[4] Before the draw, UEFA allocated the teams into three groups, two with five seeded and five unseeded teams and one with four seeded and four unseeded team per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[5] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded

Summary

The first legs will be played on 8 and 9 July, and the second legs will be played on 15 and 16 July 2025.

The winners of the ties will advance to the Champions Path second qualifying round. 12 losers will be transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round, and 2 losers to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.

First qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Žalgiris Match 1 Hamrun Spartans9 Jul15 Jul
KuPS Match 2 Milsami Orhei1–015 Jul
The New Saints Match 3 Shkëndija0–015 Jul
Iberia 1999 Match 4 Malmö FF1–315 Jul
FCI Levadia Match 5 RFS0–115 Jul
Drita Match 6 Differdange 031–015 Jul
Víkingur Match 7 Lincoln Red Imps2–315 Jul
Egnatia Match 8 Breiðablik8 Jul15 Jul
Shelbourne Match 9 Linfield9 Jul16 Jul
FCSB Match 10 Inter Club d'Escaldes9 Jul15 Jul
Virtus Match 11 Zrinjski Mostar8 Jul15 Jul
Olimpija Ljubljana Match 12 Kairat1–115 Jul
Noah Match 13 Budućnost Podgorica1–015 Jul
Ludogorets Razgrad Match 14 Dinamo Minsk9 Jul16 Jul

Matches

Žalgiris v Hamrun Spartans
Report[6]
Referee: Sandi Putros (Denmark)
Hamrun Spartans v Žalgiris
Report[7]
Referee: Matteo Mercenaro (Italy)
KuPS 1–0 Milsami Orhei
  • Ruoppi 73'
 Report[8]
Attendance: 2,316
Referee: Vitālijs Spasjoņņikovs (Latvia)
Milsami Orhei v KuPS
Report[9]
Referee: Mihály Káprály (Hungary)
The New Saints v Shkëndija
Report[10]
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Republic of Ireland)
Shkëndija v The New Saints
Report[12]
Referee: Sayat Karabayev (Kazakhstan)
Iberia 1999 1–3 Malmö FF
Rušević 86' Report[13]
Attendance: 7,449
Referee: Igor Stojchevski (North Macedonia)
Malmö FF v Iberia 1999
Report[14]
Referee: Romain Lissorgue (France)
FCI Levadia 0–1 RFS
Report[15] Panić 56' (pen.)
Attendance: 2,895
Referee: Tom Owen (Wales)
RFS v FCI Levadia
Report[16]
Referee: Andrei Chivulete (Romania)
Drita v Differdange 03
Report[18]
Referee: Zorbay Küçük (Turkey)
Differdange 03 v Drita
Report[19]
Referee: Viktor Kopiievskyi (Ukraine)
Víkingur v Lincoln Red Imps
Report[20]
Referee: Lothar D'hondt (Belgium)
Lincoln Red Imps v Víkingur
Report[22]
Referee: Ben Mcmaster (Northern Ireland)
Egnatia v Breiðablik
Report[23]
Referee: Antoni Bandić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Breiðablik v Egnatia
Report[24]
Referee: David Dickinson (Scotland)
Shelbourne v Linfield
Report[25]
Referee: Luis Godinho (Portugal)
Linfield v Shelbourne
Report[26]
FCSB v Inter Club d'Escaldes
Report[28]
Referee: Danilo Nikolić (Serbia)
Inter Club d'Escaldes v FCSB
Report[29]
Referee: Ishmael Barbara (Malta)
Virtus v Zrinjski Mostar
Report[30]
Referee: Roman Jitari (Moldova)
Zrinjski Mostar v Virtus
Report[31]
Olimpija Ljubljana 1–1 Kairat
 Report[32]
  • Satpayev 59'
Attendance: 4,877
Referee: Christos Vergetis (Greece)
Kairat v Olimpija Ljubljana
Report[33]
Referee: Matteo Marchetti (Italy)
Noah 1–0 Budućnost Podgorica
Oulad Omar 68' Report[34]
Attendance: 2,905
Referee: Volen Chinkov (Bulgaria)
Budućnost Podgorica v Noah
Report[35]
Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck (Germany)
Ludogorets Razgrad v Dinamo Minsk
Report[36]
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca (Austria)
Dinamo Minsk v Ludogorets Razgrad
Report[38]
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)

Second qualifying round

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025.

Seeding

A total of 30 teams will play in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[4] Before the draw, UEFA allocated the teams into three groups of four seeded teams and four unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[39] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
League Path
Seeded Unseeded
Rangers
Notes
  1. † Winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.

Summary

The first legs will be played on 22 and 23 July, and the second legs will be played on 29 and 30 July 2025.

The winners of the ties will advance to the third qualifying round. The losers will be transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Winner of match 5Match 1Winner of match 422 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Winner of match 1Match 2 Dynamo Kyiv22 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Pafos Match 3 Maccabi Tel Aviv22 Jul30 Jul
Winner of match 7Match 4 Red Star Belgrade22 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Winner of match 13Match 5 Ferencváros22 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Lech Poznań Match 6Winner of match 822 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Copenhagen Match 7Winner of match 622 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Rijeka Match 8Winner of match 1422 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Winner of match 3Match 9Winner of match 1022 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Slovan Bratislava Match 10Winner of match 1122 Jul29 Jul
Winner of match 9Match 11 Qarabağ22 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
Winner of match 2Match 12Winner of match 1222 or 23 Jul29 or 30 Jul
League Path
Brann Match 1 Red Bull Salzburg23 Jul30 Jul
Viktoria Plzeň Match 2 Servette22 Jul30 Jul
Rangers Match 3 Panathinaikos22 Jul30 Jul

Champions Path matches

Winner of match 5 v Winner of match 4
Winner of match 4 v Winner of match 5
Winner of match 1 v Dynamo Kyiv
Dynamo Kyiv v Winner of match 1
Pafos v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Report[41]
Referee: Mykola Balakin (Ukraine)
Maccabi Tel Aviv v Pafos
Report[43]
Winner of match 7 v Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade v Winner of match 7
Winner of match 13 v Ferencváros
Ferencváros v Winner of match 13
Lech Poznań v Winner of match 8
Winner of match 8 v Lech Poznań
Copenhagen v Winner of match 6
Winner of match 6 v Copenhagen
Rijeka v Winner of match 14
Winner of match 14 v Rijeka
Winner of match 3 v Winner of match 10
Winner of match 10 v Winner of match 3
Slovan Bratislava v Winner of match 11
Winner of match 11 v Slovan Bratislava
Winner of match 9 v Qarabağ
Qarabağ v Winner of match 9
Winner of match 2 v Winner of match 12
Winner of match 12 v Winner of match 2

League Path matches

Brann v Red Bull Salzburg
Report[44]
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak (Poland)
Red Bull Salzburg v Brann
Report[45]
Referee: Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)
Viktoria Plzeň v Servette
Report[46]
Servette v Viktoria Plzeň
Report[47]
Referee: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz (Spain)
Rangers v Panathinaikos
Report[48]
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
Panathinaikos v Rangers
Report[49]

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round will be held on 21 July 2025.

Seeding

A total of 20 teams will play in the third qualifying round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[4] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Seeded Unseeded
  • Winner of the tie involving Dynamo Kyiv
  • Winner of the tie involving Lech Poznań
  • 4 winners of the second qualifying round
League Path
Seeded Unseeded


Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round will be held on 4 August 2025.

Seeding

A total of 14 teams will play in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[4] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Seeded To be confirmed Unseeded
    League Path
    Seeded Unseeded
    • Winner of the tie involving Feyenoord
    • 1 winner of the third qualifying round

    Notes

    1. ^ Shkëndija will play their home match at the Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje, instead of their regular stadium, the Ecolog Arena, in Tetovo, due to renovation works.[11]
    2. ^ Drita will play their home match at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, instead of their regular stadium, the Gjilan City Stadium, in Gjilan, due to renovation works.[17]
    3. ^ Víkingur Gøta will play their home match at Við Djúpumýrar in Klaksvík, instead of their regular stadium, Sarpugerði, in Norðragøta, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
    4. ^ Teams from Gibraltar will play their home matches at Europa Sports Park, instead of the Victoria Stadium, due to renovation works.[21]
    5. ^ FCSB will play their home match at the Steaua Stadium, instead of their regular stadium, the Arena Națională, as it was being used for the Neversea Kapital music festival.[27]
    6. ^ Due to the country's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors until further notice.[37]
    7. ^ Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[40]
    8. ^ Due to the Gaza war, Israeli teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[42]

    References

    1. ^ a b "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
    2. ^ UEFA.com (25 October 2023). "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
    3. ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 June 2021.
    4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 March 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
    5. ^ "UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
    6. ^ "Žalgiris vs Hamrun Spartans". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    7. ^ "Hamrun Spartans vs Žalgiris". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    8. ^ "KuPS Kuopio vs Milsami". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    9. ^ "Milsami vs KuPS Kuopio". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    10. ^ "The New Saints vs Shkëndija". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    11. ^ "Започна изградбата на модерниот „Градски стадион" во Тетово". Gol.mk (in Macedonian). 15 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
    12. ^ "Shkëndija vs The New Saints". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    13. ^ "Iberia vs Malmö". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    14. ^ "Malmö vs Iberia". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    15. ^ "Levadia Tallinn vs RFS". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    16. ^ "RFS vs Levadia Tallinn". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    17. ^ "Over 12 million euros will be invested in the Gjilan stadium". koha.net. 20 May 2025.
    18. ^ "Drita vs Differdange". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    19. ^ "Differdange vs Drita". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    20. ^ "Víkingur vs L. Red Imps". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    21. ^ "UEFA exceptionally agrees to the Gibraltar FA's request to use the Europa Point Stadium for the 2024 Nations League and European Club Competition qualifying matches". Gibraltar Football Association. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
    22. ^ "L. Red Imps vs Víkingur". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    23. ^ "Egnatia vs Breiðablik". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    24. ^ "Breiðablik vs Egnatia". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    25. ^ "Shelbourne vs Linfield". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    26. ^ "Linfield vs Shelbourne". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    27. ^ "Confirmare oficială: unde se joacă FCSB - Inter Club d'Escaldes". Gazeta Sporturilor - GSP (in Romanian). 17 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
    28. ^ "FCSB vs Inter Escaldes". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    29. ^ "Inter Escaldes vs FCSB". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    30. ^ "Virtus vs Zrinjski". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    31. ^ "Zrinjski vs Virtus". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    32. ^ "Olimpija vs Kairat Almaty". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    33. ^ "Kairat Almaty vs Olimpija". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    34. ^ "Noah vs Budućnost". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    35. ^ "Budućnost vs Noah". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    36. ^ "Ludogorets vs Dinamo-Minsk". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    37. ^ "Belarus teams to play on neutral ground in UEFA competitions". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
    38. ^ "Dinamo-Minsk vs Ludogorets". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    39. ^ "UEFA Champions League second qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
    40. ^ "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
    41. ^ "Pafos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    42. ^ "European Qualifier match between Belgium and Sweden declared abandoned with half-time result confirmed as final". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
    43. ^ "Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Pafos". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    44. ^ "Brann vs Red Bull Salzburg". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    45. ^ "Red Bull Salzburg vs Brann". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    46. ^ "Viktoria Plzeň vs Servette". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    47. ^ "Servette vs Viktoria Plzeň". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    48. ^ "Rangers vs Panathinaikos". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
    49. ^ "Panathinaikos vs Rangers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
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