2025/26 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw

2025/26 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw

FK Žalgiris (LTU) vs Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs FC Milsami Orhei (MDA)
The New Saints FC (WAL) vs KF Shkëndija (MKD)
FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO) vs Malmö FF (SWE)
FC Levadia Tallinn (EST) vs FC RFS (LVA)

FC Drita (KOS) vs FC Differdange 03 (LUX)
Víkingur (FRO) vs Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) *
KF Egnatia (ALB) vs Breidablik (ISL)
Shelbourne FC (IRL) vs Linfield FC (NIR)
Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND)

Virtus AC 1964 (SMR) vs HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH) *
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
FC Noah (ARM) vs FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) vs FC Dinamo-Minsk (BLR)

Seeded teams in bold.

Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by 20 June 2025 (first and second leg).

*Following an additional draw required for rebalancing purposes it was determined that the losing team from these two ties will enter the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League rather than the second qualifying round.

DRAW PROCEDURE
CHAMPIONS PATH
Number of teams involved: 28
Number of seeded teams: 14
Number of matches: 2 x 14
Match days: 8/9 and 15/16 July 2025

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations (UCL Regulations) the following draw procedure was adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UCL Regulations were applicable to the draw.

Match system
15.01: The qualifying phase and play-offs follow the knockout system, whereby each team plays each opponents twice, in home and away matches. The team that scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the relevant round or stage (as applicable). In the event that the two teams score the same number of goals across the two matches, Article 21 applies.

Draw system and conditions
14.01: A draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the ties for the qualifying phase and play-offs. Clubs are seeded for these draws in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season (see Annex D) and with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. If, for any reason, any of the participants in the rounds in question are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved in an undecided tie is used for the purposes of the draw.

14.02: The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

14.03: A draw is conducted to determine the ties of each match and which team plays the first leg match at home.

In accordance with the relevant decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from the following associations may not be drawn against each other:

Armenia – Azerbaijan
Gibraltar – Spain
Kosovo – Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kosovo – Serbia
Kosovo – Russia*
Ukraine – Russia*
Ukraine – Belarus

*All teams from Russia are suspended until further notice by the decision of the Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, and as confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022.

Draw system
The 28 teams are divided into two groups of ten teams (Groups 1 to 2) and one group of eight teams (Group 3). Within each of the groups, the teams are divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams.

Groupings
Group 1
Seeded
Malmö FF (SWE)
FK Žalgiris (LTU)
FC RFS (LVA)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
The New Saints FC (WAL)

Unseeded
KF Shkëndija (MKD)
FC Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT)
FC Milsami Orhei (MDA)
FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi (GEO)

Group 2
Seeded
Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)
FC Drita (KOS)
Breidablik (ISL)
Linfield FC (NIR)

Unseeded
Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND)
FC Differdange 03 (LUX)
Víkingur (FRO)
Shelbourne FC (IRL)
KF Egnatia (ALB)

Group 3
Seeded
PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN)
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)
FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)

Unseeded
FC Dinamo-Minsk (BLR)
FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
FC Noah (ARM)
Virtus AC 1964 (SMR)

Draw procedure
Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams from Group 1 placed in the corresponding marked bowls.

One ball was then taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they were shuffled. One ball was taken from the central bowl and was opened to display the team. This team was considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team drawn from this bowl.

The process was then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties from Group 1. The same procedure was then carried out to determine the ties for the remaining groups.

Calendar elaboration
The following paragraphs of the UCL Regulations are applicable to the match calendar.

24.01: The stadiums, dates (in accordance with the calendar in Annex C) and kick-off times for all qualifying matches are fixed by the home clubs in consultation with their respective associations and must be confirmed to the UEFA administration by the set deadline. The UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

24.02: If two or more clubs from the same city, within a radius of 50km of each other and/or playing in the same stadium, take part in any of the UEFA club competitions, and if the association and the clubs concerned explicitly declare when entering the clubs that their matches cannot be played on the same day or on consecutive days, the UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

24.03: The UEFA administration decides on match dates and fixture reversals on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the applicable principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. In any case, the UEFA administration reserves the right to impose a match date if the circumstances so require.

Any changes of date and fixture reversals will be communicated in writing to the clubs and their respective associations on the day of the draw.