2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying
Football tournament qualification stage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2025–26 UEFA Champions League qualifying was the preliminary phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification consisted of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It began on 8 July and ended on 27 August 2025.[1]
A total of 53 teams competed 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 phase, 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 were split into two paths – the Champions Path and the League Path. The Champions Path contained teams which qualified as the winners of their domestic league, and the League Path contained teams which qualified as runners-up, third-placed or fourth-placed teams from their domestic league.
Each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time was played, and if the same number of goals was scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was determined by a penalty shoot-out.[3]
In the draws for each round, teams were 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 was 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 have been known at the time of the draws, the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to the subsequent round, which meant if the team with the lower coefficient advanced, it simply took the seeding of its opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA could 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 could not be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie could be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.
Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[1]
| 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 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 included all league champions which did not qualify directly for the league phase, and consisted of the following rounds:
- First qualifying round (28 teams): 28 teams which entered in this round.
- Second qualifying round (24 teams): 10 teams which entered 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 entered in this round, and 6 winners of the third qualifying round.
The default access list could be altered based on the qualifying teams' 2025 UEFA club coefficients should the winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League also have qualified for the 2025–26 edition via their domestic league.
All teams eliminated from the Champions Path entered either the Europa League or the Conference League:
- The losers of the first qualifying round entered the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round unless drawn to receive a bye to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.
- The 12 losers of the second qualifying round entered the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round
- The 6 losers of the third qualifying round entered the Europa League play-off round.
- The 5 losers of the play-off round entered the Europa League league phase.
Below were 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 advanced to league phase |
| Losers of play-off round entered Europa League league phase |
| Losers of third qualifying round entered Europa League play-off round |
| Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round |
| Losers of the first qualifying round that received a bye entered Conference League third qualifying round |
| Losers of the first qualifying round entered Conference League second qualifying round |
|
|
League Path
The League Path included 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 entered in this round.
- Third qualifying round (8 teams): 5 teams which entered 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 entered the Europa League:
- The 3 losers of the second qualifying round entered the Main Path third qualifying round.
- The 4 losers of the third qualifying round entered the league phase.
- The 2 losers of the play-off round entered the league phase.
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 advanced to league phase |
| Losers of play-off round entered Europa League league phase |
| Losers of third qualifying round entered Europa League league phase |
| Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round |
|
|
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.
Seeding
A total of 28 teams played in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was 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 was the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
Summary
The first legs were played on 8 and 9 July, and the second legs were played on 15 and 16 July 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. Twelve of the losing teams were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round, and the other two losing teams (selected via a draw) were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Žalgiris  | 2–2 (10–11 p) |  Hamrun Spartans | 2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
KuPS  | 1–0 |  Milsami Orhei | 1–0 | 0–0 |
The New Saints  | 1–2 |  Shkëndija | 0–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
Iberia 1999  | 2–6 |  Malmö FF | 1–3 | 1–3 |
FCI Levadia  | 0–2 |  RFS | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Drita  | 4–2 |  Differdange 03 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
Víkingur Gøta  | 2–4 |  Lincoln Red Imps | 2–3 | 0–1 |
Egnatia  | 1–5 |  Breiðablik | 1–0 | 0–5 |
Shelbourne  | 2–1 |  Linfield | 1–0 | 1–1 |
FCSB  | 4–3 |  Inter Club d'Escaldes | 3–1 | 1–2 |
Virtus  | 1–4 |  Zrinjski Mostar | 0–2 | 1–2 |
Olimpija Ljubljana  | 1–3 |  Kairat | 1–1 | 0–2 |
Noah  | 3–2 |  Budućnost Podgorica | 1–0 | 2–2 |
Ludogorets Razgrad  | 3–2 |  Dinamo Minsk | 1–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
Matches
| Žalgiris | 2–0 | Hamrun Spartans |
|---|---|---|
| Report[6] |
2–2 on aggregate; Hamrun Spartans won 11–10 on penalties.
| KuPS | 1–0 | Milsami Orhei |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[10] |
| Milsami Orhei | 0–0 | KuPS |
|---|---|---|
| Report[12] |
KuPS won 1–0 on aggregate.
| The New Saints | 0–0 | Shkëndija |
|---|---|---|
| Report[14] |
| Shkëndija | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | The New Saints |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[16] |
|
Shkëndija won 2–1 on aggregate.
Malmö FF won 6–2 on aggregate.
| FCI Levadia | 0–1 | RFS |
|---|---|---|
| Report[23] |
RFS won 2–0 on aggregate.
| Drita | 1–0 | Differdange 03 |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[27] |
Drita won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Víkingur Gøta | 2–3 | Lincoln Red Imps |
|---|---|---|
| Report[32] |
Lincoln Red Imps won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Egnatia | 1–0 | Breiðablik |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[37] |
| Breiðablik | 5–0 | Egnatia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[39] |
Breiðablik won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Shelbourne | 1–0 | Linfield |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[41] |
Shelbourne won 2–1 on aggregate.
| FCSB | 3–1 | Inter Club d'Escaldes |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[45] |
|
FCSB won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Virtus | 0–2 | Zrinjski Mostar |
|---|---|---|
| Report[50] |
Zrinjski Mostar won 4–1 on aggregate.
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 1–1 | Kairat |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[54] |
|
Kairat won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Noah | 1–0 | Budućnost Podgorica |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[58] |
| Budućnost Podgorica | 2–2 | Noah |
|---|---|---|
| Report[60] |
|
Noah won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 1–0 | Dinamo Minsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[62] |
Ludogorets Razgrad won 3–2 on aggregate.
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025.
Seeding
A total of 30 teams played in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was 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.[67] The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † 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 were played on 22 and 23 July, and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 July 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| RFS | 1–5 | Malmö FF | 1–4 | 0–1 |
| Hamrun Spartans | 0–6 |  Dynamo Kyiv | 0–3 | 0–3 |
Pafos  | 2–1 |  Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 1–6 |  Red Star Belgrade | 0–1 | 1–5 |
| Noah | 4–6 |  Ferencváros | 1–2 | 3–4 |
Lech Poznań  | 8–1 | Breiðablik | 7–1 | 1–0 |
Copenhagen  | 3–0 | Drita | 2–0 | 1–0 |
Rijeka  | 1–3 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 0–0 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Shkëndija | 3–1 | FCSB | 1–0 | 2–1 |
Slovan Bratislava  | 6–2 | Zrinjski Mostar | 4–0 | 2–2 |
| Shelbourne | 0–4 |  Qarabağ | 0–3 | 0–1 |
| KuPS | 2–3 | Kairat | 2–0 | 0–3 |
| League Path | ||||
Brann  | 2–5 |  Red Bull Salzburg | 1–4 | 1–1 |
Viktoria Plzeň  | 3–2 |  Servette | 0–1 | 3–1 |
Rangers  | 3–1 |  Panathinaikos | 2–0 | 1–1 |
Champions Path matches
| Malmö FF | 1–0 | RFS |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[70] |
Malmö FF won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Hamrun Spartans | 0–3 | Dynamo Kyiv |
|---|---|---|
| Report[72] |
Dynamo Kyiv won 6–0 on aggregate.
| Pafos | 1–1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[77] |
|
Pafos won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Lincoln Red Imps | 0–1 | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Report[82] |
|
Red Star Belgrade won 6–1 on aggregate.
| Noah | 1–2 | Ferencváros |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[86] |
Ferencváros won 6–4 on aggregate.
| Lech Poznań | 7–1 | Breiðablik |
|---|---|---|
| Report[90] |
|
Lech Poznań won 8–1 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Rijeka | 0–0 | Ludogorets Razgrad |
|---|---|---|
| Report[98] |
Ludogorets Razgrad won 3–1 on aggregate.
Shkëndija won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Slovan Bratislava | 4–0 | Zrinjski Mostar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[106] |
Slovan Bratislava won 6–2 on aggregate.
| Shelbourne | 0–3 | Qarabağ |
|---|---|---|
| Report[110] |
|
Qarabağ won 4–0 on aggregate.
Kairat won 3–2 on aggregate.
League Path matches
Red Bull Salzburg won 5–2 on aggregate.
| Viktoria Plzeň | 0–1 | Servette |
|---|---|---|
| Report[122] |
|
Viktoria Plzeň won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Rangers | 2–0 | Panathinaikos |
|---|---|---|
| Report[126] |
Rangers won 3–1 on aggregate.
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 21 July 2025.
Seeding
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † Winners of the second 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 were played on 5 and 6 August, and the second legs were played on 12 August 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round. The losers of the Champions Path were transferred to the Europa League play-off round. The losers of the League Path were transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Malmö FF | 0–5 | Copenhagen | 0–0 | 0–5 |
| Kairat | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Slovan Bratislava | 1–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Lech Poznań | 2–4 | Red Star Belgrade | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 0–3 | Ferencváros | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 0–3 | Pafos | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Shkëndija | 1–6 | Qarabağ | 0–1 | 1–5 |
| League Path | ||||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2–4 |  Club Brugge | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| Rangers | 4–2 | Viktoria Plzeň | 3–0 | 1–2 |
Nice  | 0–4 |  Benfica | 0–2 | 0–2 |
Feyenoord  | 4–6 |  Fenerbahçe | 2–1 | 2–5 |
Champions Path matches
| Malmö FF | 0–0 | Copenhagen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[130] |
| Copenhagen | 5–0 | Malmö FF |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[132] |
Copenhagen won 5–0 on aggregate.
| Kairat | 1–0 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[134] |
1–1 on aggregate; Kairat won 4–3 on penalties.
| Lech Poznań | 1–3 | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[138] |
|
Red Star Belgrade won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 0–0 | Ferencváros |
|---|---|---|
| Report[142] |
Ferencváros won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Dynamo Kyiv | 0–1 | Pafos |
|---|---|---|
| Report[146] |
|
Pafos won 3–0 on aggregate.
Qarabağ won 6–1 on aggregate.
League Path matches
| Red Bull Salzburg | 0–1 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[154] |
|
Club Brugge won 4–2 on aggregate.
Rangers won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Nice | 0–2 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Report[162] |
|
| Benfica | 2–0 | Nice |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[164] |
Benfica won 4–0 on aggregate.
| Feyenoord | 2–1 | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[166] |
|
Fenerbahçe won 6–4 on aggregate.
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2025. The first legs were played on 19 and 20 August, and the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August.
Seeding
A total of 14 teams played in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[4] The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
- Notes
- † Winners of the third 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 were played on 19 and 20 August, and the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the league phase. The losers were transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Ferencváros | 4–5 | Qarabağ | 1–3 | 3–2 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–3 | Pafos | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Bodø/Glimt | 6–2 | Sturm Graz | 5–0 | 1–2 |
| Celtic | 0–0 (2–3 p) | Kairat | 0–0 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Basel | 1–3 | Copenhagen | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| League Path | ||||
| Fenerbahçe | 0–1 | Benfica | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Rangers | 1–9 | Club Brugge | 1–3 | 0–6 |
Champions Path matches
Qarabağ won 5–4 on aggregate.
| Red Star Belgrade | 1–2 | Pafos |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[174] |
Pafos won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Bodø/Glimt | 5–0 | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|---|
| Report[178] |
Bodø/Glimt won 6–2 on aggregate.
0–0 on aggregate; Kairat won 3–2 on penalties.
Copenhagen won 3–1 on aggregate.
League Path matches
| Fenerbahçe | 0–0 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Report[190] |
| Benfica | 1–0 | Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[192] |
Benfica won 1–0 on aggregate.
Club Brugge won 9–1 on aggregate.
Notes
- Hamrun Spartans played their Champions League first qualifying round home match at the Centenary Stadium, in Ta' Qali, instead of their regular venue, the Victor Tedesco Stadium, in Hamrun, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Shkëndija played their home matches at the Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje, instead of their regular stadium, the Ecolog Arena, in Tetovo, due to renovation works.[17]
- Drita played their home matches at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, instead of their regular stadium, the Gjilan City Stadium, in Gjilan, due to renovation works.[28]
- Víkingur Gøta played their home match at Við Djúpumýrar in Klaksvík, instead of their regular stadium, Sarpugerði, in Norðragøta, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Lincoln Red Imps played their home matches at Europa Sports Park, instead of the Victoria Stadium, due to renovation works.[35]
- FCSB played 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.[46]
- 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.[65]
- Hamrun Spartans played their Champions League second qualifying round home match at the Tony Bezzina Stadium, in Paola, instead of their regular venue, the Victor Tedesco Stadium, in Hamrun, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[75]
- Pafos played their home matches at the Alphamega Stadium in Limassol, instead of their regular stadium, the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, in Paphos, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Sturm Graz played their home matches at Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, instead of their regular stadium, Liebenauer Stadium in Graz, which did not meet UEFA requirements.