Dinamo draw Thun in the second qualifying round of the Champions League: an uncomfortable Swiss test right at the start of the European season
Dinamo Zagreb will play against Swiss champion FC Thun in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, meaning that right at the start of the European season they have received an opponent that, on paper, does not have the reputation of Europe’s biggest names, but offers enough reasons for this draw to be treated in Maksimir with maximum caution. According to UEFA’s announcement, the draw for the second qualifying round was held on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, in Nyon, and the matches in this round are scheduled for 21 or 22 July and 28 or 29 July. UEFA will announce the exact kick-off times and the final order of home fixtures later, but the drawn pair Thun – Dinamo already clearly shows that the Croatian champion faces a demanding entry into the qualifiers. The American agency AP also reported that among the champions entering this stage of the competition, Thun and Dinamo Zagreb were paired, with the Swiss club listed as one of the debutant national champions on the champions path.
The tie carries all the traps of early summer: short preparations, incomplete competitive form, the possibility of a surprise and high stakes that appear before the teams have even settled into the new season. Dinamo enter this round with the experience of regular European qualifiers, a higher reputation and the clear aim of moving closer to the league phase of the Champions League. Thun, on the other hand, come from a season described in Switzerland as historic, in which the club from the Bernese Oberland won the first championship title in its history. Precisely such a combination of ambition, euphoria and freedom from pressure can be the most uncomfortable for the favourite, especially when the decision is made over two matches and the first serious test arrives in July.
A draw that does not allow underestimation
In its seasonal overview for the 2026/27 Champions League, UEFA stated that 29 clubs qualify directly for the league phase, while the remaining seven places are filled through qualifying and the play-offs. This means that Dinamo, like the other clubs on the champions path, must pass through a series of ties before a possible entry among the 36 clubs in the main part of the competition. According to UEFA’s calendar, the second qualifying round is played in the second half of July, the third qualifying round at the beginning and in the middle of August, and the play-offs at the end of August. In that schedule there is not much room for mistakes, because one weaker evening can significantly change the European season, even when defeat does not mean the complete end of appearances in international competitions.
Dinamo usually carry the burden of favourites in matches like these, but that very status often makes the job harder. Opponents from leagues that are followed less intensely outside their own borders generally enter such ties with additional motivation, and home ground in smaller environments can have a much greater impact than the market value of the team suggests. Thun are not a club that will surrender possession to Dinamo and wait for the end of the match without taking risks; the Swiss champion come from a season in which they surpassed established domestic rivals and built the feeling that they can play above expectations. For Dinamo, therefore, the most important thing is not to view the tie through a comparison of names, but through the form, intensity and discipline required in qualifiers.
It is especially important that this is a round in which clubs are still assembling their squads. Transfer windows, friendly matches, possible injuries and later arrivals of internationals can change the look of a team in a short period. In such circumstances, the advantage of experience exists, but it is not sufficient in itself. Dinamo will have to reach a competitive level very quickly, while Thun will try to use the energy of the new champion and the fact that they enter the European season without the status of a clear favourite. This is the framework in which most uncomfortable qualifying stories are created.
Dinamo arrive as champions and double winners
According to an announcement by the Croatian Football Federation, Dinamo secured the Croatian championship title in the 2025/26 season before the final stretch of the league, after a turn of events that made them unreachable for the competition. The HNS stated that the Zagreb team at that moment, in 31 league matches played, had 23 wins, four draws and four defeats, and that this was the 26th Croatian championship title since independence. That figure explains well why Dinamo are once again expected in Europe to overcome the early qualifying obstacles, but also why every early failure carries greater weight than for clubs that only occasionally reach this position.
The season gained additional value for Dinamo by winning the Cup. According to the SuperSport HNL report, Dinamo defeated Rijeka 2:0 in the final of the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup in Osijek and thus completed the double. That continuity of results gives the team confidence, but also raises the level of expectations ahead of the European start. In practice, this means that Dinamo will be expected to control the rhythm, show maturity away from home and be effective in situations when the opponent closes space. Qualifiers rarely reward only technical quality; more often they reward teams that know how to survive pressure, avoid unnecessary mistakes and keep a cool head in the closing stages.
Coach Mario Kovačević took over Dinamo in June 2025, according to the club’s official announcement, after a season in which he led Slaven Belupo and gained a reputation as a coach with clear demands in his playing style. One year later, he faces a different kind of challenge: confirming domestic dominance through a European result. In this tie, Dinamo are expected to show the difference in experience, but not to treat the match as a formality. Thun will probably seek quick transitions, strong duels and intense early pressure in front of their own supporters, while Dinamo will have to find the balance between control and a concrete attacking threat.
Thun’s historic season changed the standards
The Swiss Football League announced that FC Thun became Swiss champion for the first time in its history on 3 May 2026. The title was confirmed after St. Gallen’s defeat to Sion, which meant Thun could no longer be caught at the top of the table. For a club that does not belong to the traditional circle of the most powerful Swiss football names, this was an exceptional result, and it carries additional weight because Thun had only previously secured a return to the top tier. Such an outcome created one of the most interesting stories in European club football ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Precisely for that reason, Dinamo are not getting an anonymous opponent, but a team with a very strong competitive identity. Last season Thun lived off the collective, a clear plan and the psychological advantage that arises when an outsider starts winning week after week. Such teams often do not depend on just one star, but on rhythm, automatisms and the belief that they can outplay opponents who look stronger on paper. In qualifiers this is especially dangerous, because the difference in quality can be reduced through an aggressive approach, an artificial or faster surface, a dense schedule and an atmosphere in which the home crowd experiences every ball won as confirmation that a surprise is possible.
Thun, however, will also enter the new season with an important change on the bench. According to the club’s official announcement, Mauro Lustrinelli, the coach who led the team to the historic title, left Thun and took over Union Berlin. The club then announced that from the 2026/27 season the team would be taken over by Gian-Luca Privitelli, the former coach of the Swiss under-20 national team, who signed a three-year contract. This is an important context for the tie against Dinamo because Thun simultaneously carry the euphoria of the title and the process of adapting to a new coach. That combination can bring uncertainty, but also additional energy, especially in the first official appearances of the new season.
The away match in Thun as a specific test
According to information from FC Thun, the club’s stadium, today known as Visana Stadion, has been the club’s home since 2011 and holds around 10,000 spectators. It is not a large European arena, but precisely such stadiums often create a dense and uncomfortable atmosphere for visitors. A smaller capacity means that the crowd is closer to the pitch, that pressure is more easily transferred onto the field and that the match can turn into a series of duels in which the favourite has to fight for every metre of space. For Dinamo, therefore, the away match in Switzerland will be a test of concentration as much as a test of quality.
Thun is located in the Bernese Oberland, a region that is less globally exposed in football terms than Basel, Zürich or Bern, but the club built its story precisely from that position. When a team from such surroundings wins the title, European matches gain an additional emotional dimension. Dinamo must expect an opponent that will try to impose the rhythm from the first minute, look for set pieces, force duels and exploit every insecurity in build-up play. Particularly dangerous can be the moments after losing the ball, when the home side in front of its crowd most easily raises the intensity and turns the match into a battle that does not suit favourites.
For the Zagreb team, the ideal scenario would be to establish possession early, calm the match and prevent Thun from creating a sense of dominance through pressure. That does not necessarily mean sterile control, but smartly choosing moments to accelerate. In such ties, it is crucial to avoid cheaply conceded goals, cards that change the plan and periods in which the home side can keep the favourite in its own penalty area through a series of set pieces. Dinamo’s European reputation will be an advantage only if it is accompanied by running power, compactness and finishing.
High stakes before the start of the domestic season
UEFA’s schedule further emphasises the importance of this pair. The second qualifying round is played before most national leagues have fully gathered momentum, and the first matches arrive only a few weeks after the beginning of preparations. At such a point, differences between clubs can be smaller than in September or October. Physical preparation, squad depth and the ability to gel quickly often decide more than long-term quality. Dinamo have experience with such circumstances, but that experience matters only if it is translated into a serious approach from the first minute of the first match.
The stakes are both sporting and financial. Progression to the third qualifying round keeps Dinamo on the main path towards the Champions League, the competition that brings the greatest visibility, the strongest opponents and the most significant revenue. Failure would open a more complicated European path and change the tone of the start of the season. That is why the coaching staff, already in preparing the tie, will have to pay attention to details that often decide matches in July: defensive reactions after set pieces, playing out of high pressure, the speed of recovery after losing the ball and discipline in the closing stages of matches. Thun may not be the most attractive name Dinamo could have drawn, but they are serious enough for the wrong approach to be punished dearly.
For Thun, the tie is an opportunity to turn historic domestic success into international confirmation. For Dinamo, it is the first major obligation of the season and a test of ambitions that in Maksimir almost always include advancing deep into the European autumn. The difference in tradition and experience exists, but it will not decide the match by itself. In the July qualifiers of the Champions League, what counts most is what is shown on the pitch: concentration, energy, precision and the ability to keep the plan under pressure. Precisely for that reason, Thun – Dinamo Zagreb is not a pair that can be viewed as a routine job, but as a serious threshold at which the Croatian champion will have to confirm their European ambitions very early.
Sources:
- UEFA – seasonal overview of the 2026/27 Champions League, qualifying dates, competition format and draw calendar (link)
- UEFA – page of the draw for the second qualifying round of the 2026/27 Champions League in Nyon (link)
- Associated Press – report on the draw for the second qualifying round of the Champions League and the pair Thun – Dinamo Zagreb (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – announcement on Dinamo winning the Croatian championship title in 2025/26 (link)
- SuperSport HNL – information on Dinamo winning the Cup and the double crown (link)
- Swiss Football League – announcement on the first championship title in the history of FC Thun (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – announcement on Mauro Lustrinelli’s departure to Union Berlin (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – announcement on the appointment of Gian-Luca Privitelli as the new head coach (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – information on Visana Stadion and the stadium capacity (link)
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb – official announcement on the appointment of Mario Kovačević as head coach (link)