Dinamo opens European season against Thun: exact dates and kick-off times for the Champions League qualifying tie are known
GNK Dinamo has announced that the exact dates and kick-off times have been set for its matches against Swiss champion Thun in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. According to the club's announcement, the first match will be played on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Switzerland, starting at 8 p.m. The return leg is scheduled for a week later, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, also from 8 p.m., at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Dinamo has thus received a concrete schedule for the first official matches of the new season, and the European opener immediately brings a two-legged tie that could significantly shape the rest of the summer.
These are matches in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, a competitive stage in which clubs fight to progress toward the third qualifying round, then the play-off and finally the league phase of Europe's strongest club competition. UEFA stated in its official calendar for the 2026/2027 season that the first legs of the second qualifying round will be played on July 21 and 22, with the return legs on July 28 and 29. Dinamo's tie with Thun has been placed on the champions path, which means it brings together clubs that entered the European season as national champions or through that part of the qualifying system. According to the Zagreb club's announcement, Dinamo will first play away, and the decision on who advances to the next round will be made at Maksimir.
The first official test immediately carries major weight
For Dinamo, the matches against Thun will be more than an introduction to the season because Champions League qualifying has sporting, financial and organizational importance. The club that advances to the third qualifying round remains in the race for the league phase of the Champions League, while defeat at this stage, according to the rules cited by UEFA, means moving into the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. That is why the two-legged tie cannot be viewed merely as an early summer test of form, but as the beginning of a European path that offers several possible scenarios for the continuation of the season. Dinamo will have to combine its preparation rhythm, competitive sharpness and adjustment to an opponent entering the tie with special energy after a historic season in Switzerland in a short period of time.
The announcement of the dates is also particularly important for planning preparations, travel and logistics. The first match in Switzerland will be played on July 21, which means Dinamo enters the official competitive rhythm several weeks before the national league calendar in many European leagues fully picks up speed. The return leg on July 28 at Maksimir brings the advantage of familiar surroundings, but also the pressure of a decisive home match. In qualifying, such a schedule often changes the dynamics of a two-legged tie: the first match can create room for a controlled return leg, but it can also create the need for a demanding comeback in front of the home crowd. That is precisely why the result from Switzerland will have a direct impact on the way Dinamo approaches the second match.
The draw in Nyon paired the Croatian and Swiss champions
UEFA announced that the draw for the second qualifying round of the Champions League for the 2026/2027 season was held on June 17 in Nyon. According to UEFA's data, the draw included a total of 28 clubs and ties, 24 of them on the champions path and four on the league path. In that division, the Thun – GNK Dinamo tie was listed among the champions path fixtures, together with a series of other national champions and winners of first qualifying round ties. UEFA also confirmed the basic framework in the schedule: the first legs of the second qualifying round will be played on July 21 and 22, and the return legs on July 28 and 29, with clubs subsequently receiving the precise dates and kick-off times of individual matches.
Dinamo learned the name of its opponent at a time when it was already clear that it would face the Swiss champion in the European season. In an earlier announcement, the Zagreb club stated that it would play the first match away and the return leg at Maksimir, while the exact dates and times were confirmed several days later. This completed the first part of the organizational framework for the two-legged tie: the opponent is known, the order of home and away matches has been confirmed and the kick-off times have been determined. For the coaching staff, this means the possibility of more precise planning for the final part of preparations, and for the club's supporters and followers, a clearer schedule for one of the most important European clashes in July.
Thun arrives after the most important season in club history
Thun enters this two-legged tie as one of the most interesting champions in European qualifying. FC Thun announced on May 3, 2026, that it had become Swiss champion in the 2025/2026 season, just one year and one day after returning to the top tier of Swiss football. Dinamo emphasized in its preview that Thun won the league title for the first time in the club's 128-year history, which gives this opponent additional symbolism. This is not a club with a long-standing habit of winning the Swiss championship, but a team that, in a short period of time, went from returning to the elite to taking part in Champions League qualifying.
That fact makes the tie especially interesting. Dinamo is a club with rich European experience, accustomed to qualifying cycles and high-stakes matches, while Thun comes from a season that had historic significance for both the club and the city. Such opponents are often uncomfortable because they play with a combination of euphoria, confidence and less burden from reputation. On the other hand, a first appearance on the major European stage after winning the title can also bring a different kind of pressure, especially against an opponent that has gained great experience in European qualifying rounds over recent decades. Dinamo will therefore have to avoid underestimating the opponent and enter the tie with maximum concentration from the first minute in Switzerland.
The qualifying system leaves little room for mistakes
According to UEFA's explanation of the qualifying system, the 2026/2027 season brings 29 clubs directly qualified for the league phase of the Champions League, while the remaining seven places are filled through qualifying. The route to those places consists of the first, second and third qualifying rounds and the play-off. From the second qualifying round onward, qualifying is divided into the champions path and the league path, with the champions path including teams that reached the competition as winners of their national championships. That is exactly why Dinamo and Thun are in the part of the draw where every progression keeps alive the ambition of entering Europe's strongest club competition.
The winner of the Thun – Dinamo tie will continue toward the third qualifying round of the champions path. UEFA states that the winners of the third qualifying round go into the play-off, and the winners of the play-off enter the league phase of the Champions League. At the same time, defeats in qualifying do not necessarily mean the end of the European season, but they change the competition and the sporting perspective. Clubs defeated in the second qualifying round move into the Europa League, while those defeated in the Champions League play-off enter the league phase of the Europa League. Such a structure reduces the risk of complete European elimination in a single two-legged tie, but it does not diminish the importance of the first goal: to stay on the path toward the Champions League for as long as possible.
Maksimir as the place of decision
The return leg on July 28 at Maksimir could be a key moment in Dinamo's European summer. After the away match in Switzerland, Dinamo will have a week for analysis, recovery and preparation for the second encounter, and the fact that the return leg is played in Zagreb gives it the opportunity to confirm any advantage or try to make up a deficit in front of its own supporters. In qualifying, where only 180 minutes are played plus possible extra time and penalties, home ground in the return leg often carries psychological importance. But that advantage gains real weight only if the team brings back from the first match a result that leaves it room to control the tie.
Given that these will be Dinamo's first two official matches in the new season, the team's form will be one of the key questions. Summer qualifiers often arrive at a moment when squads are still being assembled, players' physical condition is not fully balanced, and any changes in the squad still need to be integrated into the competitive rhythm. That is why teams with more experience do not win automatically; they have to quickly find stability, reduce the number of mistakes and use individual quality at moments when the match becomes closed. Dinamo will have to show precisely that kind of maturity against Thun.
A Swiss challenge with a different profile of opponent
Thun's entry into qualifying as the new Swiss champion gives this encounter a different tone from the usual matches against clubs with a predictable European status. According to FC Thun's announcement, the team was due to open its European season in the second qualifying round against Dinamo, and after the draw the Swiss club announced that it would publish information about the matches and tickets on its official channels. This shows that the two-legged tie is an important event not only for the sporting side of the club, but also for its organization, supporters and the wider local community. For Thun, the meeting with Dinamo is an opportunity to confirm the league title on the international stage as well.
Dinamo, meanwhile, must not view the opponent solely through the size of the market or historical European renown. Swiss football traditionally produces physically organized and tactically disciplined teams, and Thun's title suggests that this is a side that knew how to maintain consistency of results throughout the league season. Still, Champions League qualifying brings a different kind of challenge from the domestic league. It is played against opponents with a different style, every mistake carries a greater cost, and public interest grows as the possibility of entering the next round approaches. In such an environment, details will decide: set pieces, reactions after losing the ball, control of transitions and the team's ability to withstand pressure in the key phases of the match.
The European calendar sets the rhythm of the entire summer
UEFA's calendar shows that the route through qualifying is very condensed. After the second qualifying round, the third qualifying round is scheduled for August 4 and 5 and August 11, while the play-off is played on August 18 and 19 and August 25 and 26. According to UEFA, the draw for the league phase of the Champions League is planned for August 27. This means that a club that wants to reach the main part of the competition must pass through a series of high-intensity matches in just over a month, while at the same time maintaining domestic obligations and resolving squad issues. Dinamo will therefore already be playing, against Thun, a two-legged tie that could determine the European tone of the entire season.
For clubs from qualifying, every round brings both sporting and financial stakes. The league phase of the Champions League brings matches against Europe's elite, greater revenue, greater visibility for players and stronger international status. The Europa League also remains an important and valuable platform, but the natural ambition of clubs starting on the champions path is to remain in the Champions League for as long as possible. Dinamo will therefore seek in July a result that opens the continuation of that route, while Thun will try to prolong its story after a surprising and historic rise in Switzerland. The first test arrives on July 21 at 8 p.m., and the final answer about progression will be known after the return leg on July 28 at Maksimir.
Sources:
- GNK Dinamo – announcement of the exact dates and kick-off times of the Dinamo and Thun matches in the second qualifying round of the Champions League (link)
- UEFA – official draw for the second qualifying round of the 2026/2027 UEFA Champions League and list of ties (link)
- UEFA – explanation of the qualifying format, calendar and route to the league phase of the 2026/2027 Champions League (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – official preview of the tie with GNK Dinamo in Champions League qualifying (link)
- FC Thun Berner Oberland – official announcement on winning the Swiss champion title in the 2025/2026 season (link)