UEFA Champions League second qualifying round drawn: the path to the third qualifying round is known
On Wednesday, 17 June 2026, UEFA held the draw for the second qualifying round of the 2026/27 Champions League in Nyon, defining the first major qualifying framework for clubs entering the competition in July or waiting for the outcome of the first qualifying round. According to UEFA's announcement, the draw included a total of 28 clubs and ties, 24 of them in the champions path and four in the league path. The ties will be played over two legs, with the first legs scheduled for 21 and 22 July, while the return legs are set for 28 and 29 July. The winners will continue the qualifiers in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, while the defeated teams, according to UEFA competition regulations, will continue their European season in the third qualifying round of the Europa League in the corresponding path. The draw was held at an early stage of the season, before all participants in the second qualifying round were known, so several ties still list the winners of first-round qualifying matches.
Two paths and different stakes for clubs
The Champions League second qualifying round is divided into the champions path and the league path, which is the standard division of qualifiers in UEFA's system. The champions path brings together clubs that enter the qualifiers through their status as champions of their national leagues or through the access-list schedule, while the league path is intended for clubs that earned a place in the qualifiers through their domestic league finish but did not enter the league phase directly. According to UEFA's guide for the 2026/27 season, a total of 29 clubs enter the league phase directly, while the remaining seven places are filled through qualifying and the play-offs. For that reason, the second qualifying round is important not only in sporting terms but also organisationally, because it opens the continuation of the fight for the Champions League for clubs while at the same time securing an alternative European route in case of defeat. UEFA states that the 2026/27 season will be played as the 72nd edition of Europe's elite club competition and the third under the league format introduced after the abolition of the classic group stage.
The champions path brings 12 ties
In the champions path, 12 ties were drawn. Some clubs already know their opponents, while others will have to wait for the completion of the first qualifying round, because they were drawn against the winners of ties that have not yet been played. UEFA confirmed the following ties in its official announcement:
- Mjällby AIF – Lincoln Red Imps FC / Inter Club d'Escaldes
- S.S. Tre Fiori F.C. / Larne FC – Crvena zvezda
- Sabah FC / The New Saints FC – FC Vardar / KuPS Kuopio
- KÍ Klaksvík / FC Atert Bissen – FK Kauno Žalgiris / FC Drita
- Aarhus – Lech Poznań
- FC Ararat-Armenia / Riga FC – Floriana FC / Shamrock Rovers FC
- FK Borac / PFC Levski Sofia – ML Vitebsk / Universitatea Craiova
- Omonoia – FC Kairat Almaty / FK Sutjeska-Nikšić
- Thun – GNK Dinamo
- Víkingur Reykjavík / ETO FC Győr – Hapoel Beer-Sheva
- FC Flora Tallinn / FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi – Slovan Bratislava
- FC Petrocub / KF Egnatia – Celje
For seeded teams and clubs with stronger European experience, this round represents the start of a path in which the margin for error is very small. Crvena zvezda, GNK Dinamo, Slovan Bratislava, Lech Poznań and Celje are among the clubs whose names particularly stand out because of their continuity of appearances in UEFA competitions, but qualifying draws often also depend on current readiness, travel, domestic league calendars and the fact that some opponents are in the middle of their competitive year. Clubs from leagues played according to the spring-autumn system generally enter European qualifiers with more official matches in their legs, while many clubs from winter leagues are only returning from preparations in July. In a separate overview of access lists, UEFA emphasised that the list of participants and entry stages in competitions are regularly updated, especially for associations whose championships are played in a different calendar rhythm.
League path: Fenerbahçe against Górnik, Sturm Graz against Hearts
Two ties were drawn in the league path, a part of the qualifiers involving clubs that are not national champions but, according to the rankings of national leagues and UEFA's access list, are entitled to take part in Champions League qualifying. According to UEFA's announcement, Fenerbahçe will play against Górnik Zabrze, while Sturm Graz will face Heart of Midlothian. There are fewer participants in this path, but the sporting pressure is extremely high because clubs must survive three rounds to reach the league phase: the second qualifying round, the third qualifying round and the play-offs. The winners of the league-path ties enter the next round of the same path, while the defeated teams, under the regulations, move into the main path of the Europa League third qualifying round. Such a system means that elimination from the Champions League does not end the European season, but it changes the competition level, possible opponents and the financial framework for the rest of the season.
- Fenerbahçe – Górnik Zabrze
- Sturm Graz – Heart of Midlothian
Fenerbahçe is the biggest name in this round's league path, primarily because of the size of the club, its fan base and its experience in international competitions. Sturm Graz enter the draw as the Austrian representative, and Heart of Midlothian as a Scottish club for whom the qualifiers bring an opportunity to return to the highest European stage. Górnik Zabrze, on the other hand, receive one of the most demanding possible challenges at the start of their qualifying path in their tie with the Turkish representative. Although favourites in such ties are often assessed according to coefficient, budget and experience, UEFA's two-legged system leaves enough room for home advantage, July form and details such as travel or schedule to decide the overall outcome.
Dinamo learned their opponent, several ties depend on the first qualifying round
One of the directly known ties in the champions path is Thun – GNK Dinamo. According to UEFA's draw, the Swiss club will be the first host, and the return leg is scheduled for one week later. Such a schedule is important because of travel preparation, domestic match dates and television obligations, but UEFA reserves the right to adjust the schedule if organisational reasons, safety or stadium clashes require it. Dinamo enter the qualifiers with high European ambitions, but the second round still carries a clear danger because it is played at a moment when teams are only entering competitive rhythm. For Thun, the tie is an opportunity to try to reach the third qualifying round over two matches against an internationally better-known opponent and extend their fight for Europe's most valuable competition.
In several ties, it is still not known who will actually play in the second qualifying round. This applies to ties in which the winners of the first qualifying round are listed, for example Lincoln Red Imps or Inter Club d'Escaldes against Mjällby, Tre Fiori or Larne against Crvena zvezda, and Flora Tallinn or Iberia 1999 Tbilisi against Slovan from Bratislava. Such a draw format is common in the early stages of European qualifiers because UEFA has to put together the competition calendar in advance and allow clubs to prepare organisationally. Clubs that still have to earn passage in the first qualifying round already know their possible next challenge, which can affect travel planning, scouting and sporting decisions in the transfer window. At the same time, seeded teams waiting for their opponent must prepare several scenarios, because the style of play and logistical requirements differ significantly depending on which opponent goes through.
How the winner of a tie is decided
According to the regulations of the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/27 season, the qualifying phase and play-offs are played under a knockout system in which each team plays one match at home and one away against its opponent. The winner is the club that scores more goals on aggregate after two matches. If the aggregate score is level after the return leg, the regulations state that two periods of extra time of 15 minutes each are played. If there is still no winner after extra time, the decision is made by a penalty shoot-out in accordance with the Laws of the Game. UEFA also states in the regulations that the administration may decide that an individual tie is played as one match if circumstances require it, but the basic rule for qualifiers remains a two-legged tie.
The abolition of the away goals rule in previous seasons has changed the way clubs approach such matches. Home advantage remains important because of the atmosphere, travel and tactical preparation, but an away goal no longer has additional value in the event of an aggregate draw. This is particularly important in the second qualifying round, where clubs with different competitive rhythms, budgets and European experience often meet. Teams therefore have to take account of the whole two-legged tie, not only the result of the first match. In practice, this often means a more cautious opening to the first match, but also much greater pressure in the closing stages of the return leg, especially if the aggregate score is heading towards extra time.
The broader framework of the 2026/27 season
In its season overview, UEFA announced that the 2026/27 Champions League begins on 7 July 2026 and ends with the final on 5 June 2027 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. The league phase begins in September, and according to the official calendar, the first matchday will be played from 8 to 10 September 2026. Matchdays in October, November, December and January follow, after which the competition enters the knockout phase. UEFA states that 29 clubs have direct entry into the league phase, while seven places come through qualifying, which further underlines the weight of every round for clubs that open their season in July. The final in Madrid will be the second Champions League final at the Metropolitano Stadium, after the 2019 final match between Liverpool and Tottenham was played there.
For clubs from the second qualifying round, the path to the league phase remains long. Victory in this round brings the third qualifying round, then possibly the play-offs, and only after that placement among the clubs playing the league phase. In sporting terms, that means at least six qualifying matches before the main part of the competition for those starting in the second round. In financial and organisational terms, every progression increases revenue, international visibility and the possibility of strengthening the squad, but at the same time brings a denser schedule and greater demands on the playing staff. For that reason, the second qualifying round is often considered one of the most sensitive moments of the season: clubs are close enough to a European breakthrough to plan ambitiously, but early enough in the calendar that one poor two-legged tie can change their entire competitive trajectory.
A schedule that opens the most intense part of the summer
The first legs of the second qualifying round will be played on 21 and 22 July, and the return legs on 28 and 29 July, UEFA announced. The third qualifying round is scheduled for 4 and 5 August and 11 August, while the play-offs will be played on 18 and 19 August and 25 and 26 August. The draw for the third qualifying round is scheduled for 20 July, therefore before the first legs of the second qualifying round are played, which means that clubs will very quickly learn their possible next obstacle as well. Such a schedule is characteristic of UEFA qualifiers, in which sporting uncertainty and administrative planning take place in parallel. Clubs in July therefore play not only for passage to the next round, but also to maintain the continuity of their European season during the period when the squad for the entire competitive year is being shaped.
The matches of the second qualifying round will therefore have an importance that goes beyond the result of a single two-legged tie. For the winners, a direct fight for the Champions League play-offs opens up, while the defeated teams continue towards the Europa League, but with changed ambitions and a different sporting framework. In such a system, the draw in Nyon is not only the formal beginning of one qualifying round, but also a map of possible routes through the European summer. The final list of actual ties will be complete only after the end of the first qualifying round, but the basic structure of qualifying is now known: 14 ties, two paths and the first major step towards the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League.
Sources:
- UEFA – official announcement of the 2026/27 Champions League second qualifying round draw with the list of ties and match dates (link)
- UEFA – overview of the 2026/27 Champions League season, qualifying system, calendar and final in Madrid (link)
- UEFA Documents – regulations of the 2026/27 Champions League, Article 15 on the qualifying system and the entry of defeated clubs into other UEFA competitions (link)
- UEFA Documents – regulations of the 2026/27 Champions League, Article 21 on extra time and penalty shoot-outs in the knockout system (link)
- UEFA – access lists for UEFA men's club competitions 2026/27 and explanation of updates to participants and coefficients (link)