Dinamo opens the 2026/27 European season in the second qualifying round of the Champions League
Dinamo Zagreb enters the new European season from the second qualifying round of the Champions League, which means that, to reach the league phase of UEFA's strongest club competition, it will have to overcome three qualifying obstacles. According to the current overview of qualifications for the 2026/27 season maintained by UEFA's specialized source for European coefficients, Bert Kassies, the Croatian champion is listed in the champions path of the second qualifying round of the Champions League with a club coefficient of 46.500. The opponent of the Zagreb club is not yet known, because the ties will be formed only after the draw and the final completion of the qualifying lists. The first legs of the second qualifying round are scheduled for 21 and 22 July 2026, and the return legs for 28 and 29 July 2026. In this way, Dinamo already enters, in mid-summer, a period in which sporting status, the European schedule and the financial framework of the season are decided at the same time.
According to UEFA's calendar of European club competitions for 2026, the draw for the first and second qualifying rounds of the Champions League is planned for 16 and 17 June 2026. UEFA states in its official calendar that the dates are indicative and subject to change, but the current schedule confirms that Dinamo will learn the name of its first European opponent more than a month before the first match. For clubs that begin the season in the qualifiers, this is particularly important because preparations, travel and player registration must be coordinated with very congested summer dates. If it passes the second round, Dinamo would continue the competition in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, and then, in the event of another success, the play-off would await it. Only passage through all three rounds brings a place in the league phase of the Champions League.
Three rounds to the league phase
In the qualifiers, Dinamo is placed in the so-called champions path, the part of the system intended for clubs that enter the Champions League as national champions. Such a position brings a different circle of possible opponents from the league path, in which clubs from stronger leagues that did not win their domestic championship, but finished high enough in the national competition, take part. According to the overview of qualifications for the 2026/27 season, the Croatian champion starts from the second qualifying round, not from the first, which shortens the path compared with clubs from lower-ranked national associations. Still, this does not change the basic calculation: to reach the league phase of the Champions League, Dinamo must pass the second qualifying round, the third qualifying round and the play-off. Each of those ties is played over two matches, at home and away, so the Zagreb club will have to successfully complete a total of six matches to enter the 36 participants of the league phase.
The schedule after the second qualifying round is also already broadly defined. According to UEFA's calendar, also carried by Kassies' specialized website, the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League is scheduled for 20 July 2026, therefore before the return legs of the second qualifying round are played. The first legs of the third qualifying round are scheduled for 4 and 5 August, and the return legs for 11 August. The play-off draw should be held on 3 August, while the first legs of that phase are planned for 18 and 19 August, and the return legs for 25 and 26 August 2026. Such a calendar leaves very little room for error, because clubs in the qualifiers often know possible opponents in the next round even before one round has finished, but not the final European direction of the season.
The coefficient is important for draw status
Dinamo enters the qualifiers with a coefficient of 46.500, according to the list of qualified clubs published by Bert Kassies, one of the most frequently cited specialized sources for UEFA coefficients, access lists and the schedule of European competitions. UEFA states in the explanation of its dynamic access lists that club coefficients provide an initial insight into possible seeding in the draws for qualifying rounds and the play-off. This does not mean that Dinamo is automatically protected from all more difficult opponents, but the coefficient can play an important role in forming the seeding groups. In Champions League qualifying, seeding often determines whether a club will avoid some of the strongest opponents from the same path at an early stage. The final groups depend on the composition of participants, the results of previous rounds, possible rebalancing in the access list and the rules UEFA applies for each draw.
In the same qualification overview, Croatia is listed in 21st place according to the relevant national coefficient for the allocation of European places, while Dinamo is marked as the Croatian champion in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. Alongside Dinamo, the European schedule for Croatian clubs also lists representatives in the Europa League and the Conference League, but their path does not directly affect Dinamo's qualifying route in the Champions League. The Croatian champion therefore enters a separate part of the system, where it first faces clubs that also come from national championships. Since the opponent has not yet been drawn, at the moment it is possible to speak only about possible frameworks, not about a specific tie. UEFA's practice is to further narrow the groups of potential opponents before the draw, after which clubs learn a more precise path.
What progression brings, and what elimination brings
If Dinamo passes the second qualifying round, it will continue the competition in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. If it passes the third qualifying round, it would secure the play-off, the final obstacle before the league phase. Victory in the play-off brings entry into the main part of the Champions League, which, since the reform of UEFA competitions, has been played as a league phase with 36 clubs, and no longer as a classic group stage with eight groups. UEFA introduced that format so that all participants would play against a larger number of different opponents, while placement on the common table determines the continuation of the competition. For a club coming from the qualifiers, entry into the league phase also has a strong financial effect because it brings significantly higher revenues from UEFA rewards, market share and match income.
Elimination from the qualifiers does not necessarily mean the end of the European season. According to the rules of UEFA's qualifying system, clubs eliminated from the Champions League in certain phases move to a lower European competition, depending on the round and path from which they are eliminated. The exact direction depends on the qualifying phase and UEFA's rules for the 2026/27 season, but the basic model remains the same: failure in the Champions League most often leads to the continuation of competition in the Europa League or the Conference League. For Dinamo, this would mean that every summer tie carries double weight. Victories open the path toward the Champions League, while defeats determine the reserve European scenario and can change the club's sporting and financial plans.
The league phase begins at the end of August
The draw for the league phase of the Champions League for the 2026/27 season is scheduled for 27 August 2026, according to the published UEFA calendar. The first round of the league phase is planned for the period from 8 to 10 September 2026, which means that clubs that pass the qualifiers would learn their full European schedule very quickly after the play-off. In the new format, each participant in the league phase plays against several different opponents, and the overall ranking on the common table decides who goes directly to the round of 16, who enters the knockout-phase play-offs, and who ends their campaign. Such a system increases the importance of every point, but also brings a greater number of attractive matches compared with the previous competition format. For Dinamo, possible entry into that phase would mean a return to the most visible part of European club football.
Until then, however, the path is strictly qualifying. Dinamo must first await the draw, then play two matches in the second qualifying round, and only then can it think about the next opponent. In qualifiers, details such as readiness in July, the health condition of the squad, the transfer window, travel and the ability to avoid mistakes in matches in which there is not much time for correction often prove decisive. Since domestic championships in many countries are only just gaining momentum during that period or have not even started yet, clubs in the qualifiers enter European matches at different stages of preparation. This is one of the reasons why summer qualifying rounds often bring uncertain ties, regardless of the coefficient or reputation of an individual club.
Dinamo again in the role of Croatian champion
In the European allocation of places for the 2026/27 season, the Croatian Football League receives a representative in Champions League qualifying through the title of national champion. According to available HNL data and overviews of European qualifications, Dinamo is listed in the 2025/26 season as the champion of Croatia, thereby earning the right to play in the Champions League qualifiers. In its announcements about the end of the season, the HNL also mentioned Dinamo's success in the Cup, which further strengthened the impression of a season in which the Zagreb club once again assumed the central domestic role. For the European path, however, league status is decisive because it is precisely the champion's title that leads to the champions path of the Champions League. The Cup and other domestic results are important for the overall picture of the season, but they do not change Dinamo's starting position in qualifying for the elite competition.
Dinamo's European appearance comes in a period in which clubs from mid-ranked leagues increasingly depend on successfully passing the qualifiers. UEFA's league-phase system has increased the number of matches in the main part of the competition, but entry into that circle for champions outside the strongest leagues still goes through a very demanding qualifying filter. Due to its higher coefficient and experience, Dinamo has a better starting position than some of its opponents, but qualifying is a competition in which the difference on paper must be confirmed over two matches. It is especially important that the first European test is played already on 21 or 22 July, therefore at a time when the team must be ready for results significantly before the peak of the season. For that reason, preparations, transfers and the selection of the squad for Europe will carry direct weight already at the beginning of the summer.
The opponent will be known after the draw
Dinamo's opponent in the second qualifying round is not yet known. UEFA's draw procedure usually includes the publication of seeding groups and possible subgroups immediately before the draw, after which the ties and the order of home legs are determined. Since some European leagues and cups are still being completed, or access lists can change due to UEFA rebalancing, the final list of clubs can be adjusted until official confirmation. In April 2026, UEFA announced that its dynamic tools regularly track who has secured a place in competitions, in which round clubs start and how the access lists for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are formed. Such a system helps in monitoring the qualifiers, but the final status is always determined by the official draw and the relevant competition rules.
For Dinamo, the most important thing at the moment is that the framework of the path is no longer unknown. Entry in the second qualifying round means that the European season will begin at the end of July, and that the path toward the Champions League, in the best-case scenario, could stretch through the whole of August. The first phase brings a tie that must be passed in order to maintain the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League, while each subsequent round increases the sporting and financial stakes. Until the draw on 16 and 17 June, the key piece of information remains Dinamo's starting position: the Croatian champion enters the second qualifying round, has a coefficient of 46.500 and must pass three obstacles to reach the league phase. Only after the draw will it be possible to assess how demanding the specific path is and what schedule awaits the Zagreb club in the first part of the European season.
Sources:
- UEFA – calendar of European football competitions for 2026, including dates of Champions League draws and matches (link)
- UEFA – dynamic access list for men's club competitions 2026/27 and explanation of the qualification system (link)
- UEFA Rankings – official overview of access lists and explanations of rebalancing for the Champions League (link)
- UEFA European Cup Football by Bert Kassies – qualified clubs, coefficients and access list for the 2026/27 season (link)
- UEFA European Club Football Calendar by Bert Kassies – schedule of qualifiers and league phase for the 2026/27 season according to UEFA's confirmed dates (link)
- SuperSport HNL – official information about Dinamo and the closing stage of the 2025/26 domestic season (link)