2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying

2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying is the preliminary phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification will consist of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It began on 10 July and will end on 28 August 2025.[1]

A total of 155 teams will compete in the qualifying system of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, which includes the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 21 teams in the Champions Path and 134 teams in the Main Path. The 24 winners of the play-off round will advance to the league phase, to join the 12 losers of the Europa League play-off round.[2][3]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Format

The qualifying phase and play-off round will be split into two paths – the Champions Path and the Main Path. The Champions Path contains teams which were eliminated from the Champions League Champions Path, and the Europa League Champions Path and the Main Path contains teams which qualify through their domestic league or as domestic cup winners as well as teams eliminated from the Europa League Main Path.

Each tie will be played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs will advance to the next round. If the aggregate score is level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time will be played, and if the same number of goals is scored by both teams during extra time, the tie will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[4]

In the draws for each round, teams will be seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round may not be known at the time of the draws, the seeding is carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advances to the subsequent round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient advances, it simply takes the seeding of its opponent.

Prior to the draws, UEFA can form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, purely for the convenience of the draw and not to resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA cannot be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie can be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows. Matches are scheduled for Thursdays, though exceptionally could take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.[1]

Schedule for 2025–26 UEFA Conference League
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
First qualifying round 17 June 2025 10 July 2025 17 July 2025
Second qualifying round 18 June 2025 24 July 2025 31 July 2025
Third qualifying round 21 July 2025 7 August 2025 14 August 2025
Play-off round 4 August 2025 21 August 2025 28 August 2025

Teams

Champions Path

The Champions Path includes league champions which were eliminated from the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Champions League and the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Europa League and consists of the following rounds:

  • Second qualifying round (12 teams): 12 of the 14 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round (two of the teams received a bye to the third qualifying round).
  • Third qualifying round (8 teams): 6 winners of the second qualifying round, and 2 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round that received a bye.
  • Play-off round (10 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round, and 6 losers of the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round.

Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients, not used as seeding for the Champions Path, however),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to league phase
Teams eliminated
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[5]
Shelbourne[UEL CH Q3] 2.993
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Víkingur Gøta [UCL Q1] 4.000
Virtus [UCL Q1] 1.500
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Olimpija Ljubljana [UCL Q1] 17.375
Žalgiris [UCL Q1] 12.000
The New Saints [UCL Q1] 9.000
Linfield [UCL Q1] 8.500
Budućnost Podgorica [UCL Q1] 8.000
Inter Club d'Escaldes [UCL Q1] 7.500
FCI Levadia [UCL Q1] 6.500
Dinamo Minsk [UCL Q1] 6.000
Milsami Orhei [UCL Q1] 5.500
Differdange 03 [UCL Q1] 5.000
Iberia 1999 [UCL Q1] 4.500
Egnatia [UCL Q1] 2.500
Notes
  1. UEL CH Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. UCL Q1 Losers of Champions League first qualifying round.

Main Path

The Main Path includes league non-champions and domestic cup winners and consists of the following rounds:

Below were the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to league phase
Teams eliminated
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[5]
Fiorentina 62.000
Crystal Palace 23.039
Rayo Vallecano 18.890
Mainz 05 17.266
Strasbourg 14.618
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Anderlecht [UEL MP Q2] 28.250
Sheriff Tiraspol [UEL MP Q2] 20.000
Lugano [UEL MP Q2] 19.250
Beşiktaş [UEL MP Q2] 15.000
Celje [UEL MP Q2] 14.000
Baník Ostrava [UEL MP Q2] 8.820
Hibernian [UEL MP Q2] 7.110
Levski Sofia [UEL MP Q2] 4.500
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
AZ 54.500
Rapid Wien 32.250
Sparta Prague 29.500
İstanbul Başakşehir 23.000
Partizan [UEL MP Q1] 22.000
Maccabi Haifa 18.000
Shamrock Rovers 17.875
Omonia 17.375
Hapoel Be'er Sheva [UEL MP Q1] 16.500
Jagiellonia Białystok 14.000
Santa Clara 12.453
Astana 12.000
Charleroi 11.370
Hajduk Split 10.000
Riga 10.000
Maribor 9.500
AEK Athens 9.500
Spartak Trnava [UEL MP Q1] 8.500
Ballkani 8.000
Raków Częstochowa 8.000
Rosenborg 7.937
Viking 7.937
Aris 7.862
Ararat-Armenia 7.500
Austria Wien 7.500
Vaduz 7.500
Dundee United 7.110
Brøndby 7.000
Silkeborg 6.796
Lausanne-Sport 6.725
Puskás Akadémia 6.500
Universitatea Craiova 6.500
Beitar Jerusalem 6.325
HB 6.000
Sarajevo 6.000
Aris Limassol 5.507
Hammarby IF 5.500
Hibernians 5.500
AIK 5.425
Varaždin 5.405
Radnički 1923 5.100
Novi Pazar 5.100
Žilina 5.000
Polissya Zhytomyr 4.880
Oleksandriya 4.880
Paks [UEL MP Q1] 4.800
Győri ETO 4.800
Universitatea Cluj 4.650
Košice [†] 4.250
Zira 4.000
Sabah [UEL MP Q1] 4.000
Cherno More 3.975
Arda 3.975
Araz-Naxçıvan 3.925
Ilves [UEL MP Q1] 3.000
Zimbru Chișinău 3.000
Aktobe [UEL MP Q1] 3.000
KA 2.704
Prishtina [UEL MP Q1] 2.500
Dungannon Swifts 1.666
Banga 1.650
Dinamo City 1.575
UNA Strassen 1.375
Spaeri 1.325
First qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Borac Banja Luka 13.625
HJK 12.500
Flora 11.500
KÍ 11.000
Víkingur Reykjavík 10.750
Pyunik 8.500
Petrocub Hîncești 8.500
Larne 7.000
Paide Linnameeskond 7.000
F91 Dudelange 7.000
Partizani 6.500
St Patrick's Athletic 5.500
La Fiorita 5.500
Sutjeska 5.500
Vllaznia 5.000
Kauno Žalgiris 5.000
Ordabasy 4.500
Floriana 4.500
Koper 4.068
Urartu 4.000
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 4.000
St Joseph's 4.000
Dila Gori 4.000
Dečić 4.000
FC Santa Coloma 4.000
Dynamo Brest 4.000
Auda 3.500
Neman Grodno 3.500
Magpies 3.500
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes 3.500
Torpedo Kutaisi 3.000
Valur 3.000
Tre Fiori 3.000
Željezničar 2.606
Cliftonville 2.500
Birkirkara 2.500
Racing Union 2.500
Sileks 2.500
Daugavpils 2.450
Malisheva 2.408
SJK 2.350
NSÍ 2.150
Hegelmann 1.650
Nõmme Kalju 1.591
Haverfordwest County 1.500
Penybont 1.358
Vardar 1.233
Rabotnicki 1.233
Notes
  1. UEL MP Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).
  2. UEL MP Q2 Losers of Europa League second qualifying round (Main Path).
  3. UEL MP Q1 Losers of Europa League first qualifying round (Main Path).
  4. † Slovak club DAC Dunajská Streda (8.000) originally entered the competition and took part in the second qualifying round draw, but were later replaced by Košice.

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.[6]

Seeding

A total of 48 teams played in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA allocated the teams into six groups of four seeded teams and four unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[7] Teams were pre-assigned numbers by UEFA so that the draw could be held in one run for all groups. The first team drawn in each tie was designated the home team for the first leg.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded

Summary

The first legs were played on 8 and 10 July, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the second qualifying round.

First qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
NSÍ 4–5 HJK4–00–5 (a.e.t.)
Torpedo Kutaisi 5–4 Ordabasy4–31–1
Željezničar 2–4 Koper1–11–3
SJK 1–4 KÍ1–20–2
Nõmme Kalju 2–1 Partizani1–11–0 (a.e.t.)
Tre Fiori 1–5 Pyunik1–00–5
St Patrick's Athletic 3–0 Hegelmann1–02–0
Dečić 3–2 Sileks2–01–2
Sutjeska 3–2 Dynamo Brest1–22–0
Larne 2–2 (4–2 p) Auda0–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Floriana 5–3 Haverfordwest County2–13–2
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 4–0 Rabotnicki3–01–0
Magpies 3–7 Paide Linnameeskond2–31–4
Birkirkara 1–3 Petrocub Hîncești1–00–3
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes 5–2 F91 Dudelange2–03–2
Valur 5–1 Flora3–02–1
Malisheva 0–9 Víkingur Reykjavík0–10–8
Racing Union 1–3 Dila Gori1–20–1
Vllaznia 4–3 Daugavpils0–14–2
Urartu 1–6 Neman Grodno1–20–4
Vardar 5–2[a] La Fiorita3–02–2
Kauno Žalgiris 4–1 Penybont3–01–1
St Joseph's 5–4 Cliftonville2–23–2 (a.e.t.)
Borac Banja Luka 3–4 FC Santa Coloma1–42–0
Notes:
  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Matches

Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round matches (Main Path)

Second qualifying round

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025.

Seeding

A total of 100 teams played in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[8] The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 7 Group 8 Group 9
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Losers of the Champions League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. †† Winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  3. ††† Losers of the Europa League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  4. & DAC Dunajská Streda took part in the draw, but were later replaced by Košice.

Summary

The first legs were played on 22, 23 and 24 July, and the second legs were played on 29 and 31 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Víkingur Gøta ByeN/A——
Virtus ByeN/A——
FCI Levadia 3–2 Iberia 19991–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Žalgiris 0–2 Linfield0–00–2
The New Saints 0–2 Differdange 030–10–1
Olimpija Ljubljana 5–3 Inter Club d'Escaldes4–21–1
Budućnost Podgorica 1–2 Milsami Orhei0–01–2
Dinamo Minsk 0–3 Egnatia0–20–1
Main Path
Dundee United 2–0 UNA Strassen1–01–0
Larne 1–1 (5–4 p) Prishtina0–01–1 (a.e.t.)
Košice 3–4 Neman Grodno2–31–1
Vaduz 3–1 Dungannon Swifts0–13–0 (a.e.t.)
Silkeborg 4–3 KA1–13–2 (a.e.t.)
Rosenborg 7–0 Banga5–02–0
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes 2–3 Dinamo City1–21–1
Austria Wien 7–0 Spaeri2–05–0
Ballkani 5–3 Floriana4–21–1
Viking 12–3 Koper7–05–3
AEK Athens 1–0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva1–00–0
Pyunik 3–4 Győri ETO2–11–3
Riga 5–4 Dila Gori2–13–3
Raków Częstochowa 6–1 Žilina3–03–1
Petrocub Hîncești 1–6 Sabah0–21–4
Ararat-Armenia 2–1 Universitatea Cluj0–02–1 (a.e.t.)
Varaždin 2–3 Santa Clara2–10–2
Kauno Žalgiris 3–2 Valur1–12–1
Paks 2–1 Maribor1–01–1
Vllaznia 4–5 Víkingur Reykjavík2–12–4 (a.e.t.)
Hammarby IF 2–1 Charleroi0–02–1 (a.e.t.)
Radnički 1923 0–1 KÍ0–00–1
Novi Pazar 2–5 Jagiellonia Białystok1–21–3
Polissya Zhytomyr 5–3 FC Santa Coloma1–24–1
Vardar 2–6 Lausanne-Sport2–10–5
HB 1–2 Brøndby1–10–1
Oleksandriya 0–6 Partizan0–20–4
Hibernians 2–7 Spartak Trnava1–21–5
St Patrick's Athletic 3–2 Nõmme Kalju1–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Paide Linnameeskond 0–8[a] AIK0–20–6
Sarajevo 2–5 Universitatea Craiova2–10–4
Aris Limassol 5–2 Puskás Akadémia3–22–0
St Joseph's 0–4 Shamrock Rovers0–40–0
Ilves 4–8 AZ4–30–5
Zira 2–3 Hajduk Split1–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Arda 2–2 (4–3 p) HJK0–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Aktobe 2–5 Sparta Prague2–10–4
Astana 3–1[a] Zimbru Chișinău1–12–0
Dečić 2–6 Rapid Wien0–22–4
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 1–4 Maccabi Haifa1–10–3
Araz-Naxçıvan 4–3 Aris2–12–2
Omonia 5–0 Torpedo Kutaisi1–04–0
Cherno More 0–5 İstanbul Başakşehir0–10–4
Sutjeska 3–7 Beitar Jerusalem1–22–5
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Matches

Main articles: 2025–26 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round matches (Champions Path) and 2025–26 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round matches (Main Path)

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 21 July 2025.

Seeding

A total of 60 teams will play in the third qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. †† Losers of the Europa League second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.

Summary

The first legs were played on 5 and 7 August, and the second legs will be played on 13 and 14 August 2025.

Third qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Olimpija Ljubljana Match 1 Egnatia0–014 Aug
Milsami Orhei Match 2 Virtus3–214 Aug
Differdange 03 Match 3 FCI Levadia2–314 Aug
Víkingur Gøta Match 4 Linfield2–114 Aug
Main Path
Rapid Wien Match 1 Dundee United2–214 Aug
Sparta Prague Match 2 Ararat-Armenia4–114 Aug
AZ Match 3 Vaduz3–014 Aug
Lugano Match 4 Celje0–514 Aug
KÍ Match 5 Neman Grodno2–014 Aug
Riga Match 6 Beitar Jerusalem3–014 Aug
Víkingur Reykjavík Match 7 Brøndby3–014 Aug
Hajduk Split Match 8 Dinamo City2–114 Aug
Anderlecht Match 9 Sheriff Tiraspol3–014 Aug
Lausanne-Sport Match 10 Astana3–114 Aug
Larne Match 11 Santa Clara0–314 Aug
Aris Limassol Match 12 AEK Athens2–214 Aug
Viking 2–4 İstanbul Başakşehir1–31–1
Araz-Naxçıvan Match 14 Omonia0–414 Aug
Ballkani Match 15 Shamrock Rovers1–014 Aug
Raków Częstochowa Match 16 Maccabi Haifa0–114 Aug
AIK Match 17 Győri ETO2–114 Aug
Universitatea Craiova Match 18 Spartak Trnava3–014 Aug
Polissya Zhytomyr Match 19 Paks3–014 Aug
Levski Sofia Match 20 Sabah1–014 Aug
Silkeborg Match 21 Jagiellonia Białystok0–114 Aug
Partizan Match 22 Hibernian0–214 Aug
Baník Ostrava Match 23 Austria Wien4–314 Aug
Rosenborg Match 24 Hammarby IF0–014 Aug
St Patrick's Athletic Match 25 Beşiktaş1–414 Aug
Kauno Žalgiris Match 26 Arda0–114 Aug

Matches

Main articles: 2025–26 UEFA Conference League third qualifying round matches (Champions Path) and 2025–26 UEFA Conference League third qualifying round matches (Main Path)

Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2025.

Seeding

A total of 48 teams will play in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Seeded Unseeded
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 3 Group 4
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Losers of the Europa League third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw.
  2. †† Winners of the third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw.

Summary

The first legs will be played on 21 August, and the second legs will be played on 28 August 2025.

Play-off round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Loser of EL CH match 4Match 1Loser of EL CH match 321 Aug28 Aug
Shelbourne Match 2Winner of CH match 421 Aug28 Aug
Loser of EL CH match 5Match 3Winner of CH match 221 Aug28 Aug
Loser of EL CH match 6Match 4Winner of CH match 321 Aug28 Aug
Winner of CH match 1Match 5Loser of EL CH match 121 Aug28 Aug
Main Path
Strasbourg Match 1Winner of MP match 721 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 21Match 2Winner of MP match 821 Aug28 Aug
Loser of EL MP match 7Match 3Loser of EL MP match 521 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 9Match 4Winner of MP match 1221 Aug28 Aug
İstanbul Başakşehir Match 5Winner of MP match 1821 Aug28 Aug
Crystal Palace Match 6Loser of EL MP match 221 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 4Match 7Winner of MP match 2321 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 16Match 8Winner of MP match 2621 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 22Match 9Loser of EL MP match 121 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 20Match 10Winner of MP match 321 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 19Match 11 Fiorentina21 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 17Match 12Winner of MP match 121 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 5Match 13 Rayo Vallecano21 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 10Match 14Winner of MP match 2521 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 11Match 15Winner of MP match 1521 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 24Match 16 Mainz 0521 Aug28 Aug
Winner of MP match 2Match 17Winner of MP match 621 Aug28 Aug
Loser of EL MP match 6Match 18Loser of EL MP match 321 Aug28 Aug
Loser of EL MP match 4Match 19Winner of MP match 1421 Aug28 Aug

References

  1. ^ a b "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know". UEFA.com. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 24 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  7. ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  8. ^ "UEFA Conference League second qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
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