UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw was held at 12:00 CET on Monday 21 June at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The two-legged ties will take place on 5/6 and 12 August 2025.

2025/26 Champions League third qualifying round draw

Champions Path

FC RFS (LVA)/Malmö FF (SWE) vs F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)/FC Drita (KOS)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN)/FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)/HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)
KKS Lech Poznań (POL)/Breidablik (ISL) vs Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)/FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

HNK Rijeka (CRO)/PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) vs FC Noah (ARM)/Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Hamrun Spartans F.C. (MLT)/FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) vs Pafos FC (CYP)/Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
KF Shkëndija (MKD)/Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs Shelbourne FC (IRL)/Qarabağ FK (AZE)

League Path

SK Brann (NOR)/FC Salzburg (AUT) vs Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Rangers FC (SCO)/Panathinaikos FC (GRE) vs FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)/Servette FC (SUI)
OGC Nice (FRA) vs SL Benfica (POR)
Feyenoord (NED) vs Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

Seeded teams in bold.

Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by 25 July 2025 (first and second leg).

Draw procedure

CHAMPIONS PATH
Number of teams involved: 12 (12 pairings from the second qualifying round Champions Path)
Number of seeded teams: 6
Number of matches: 2 x 6

LEAGUE PATH
Number of teams involved: 8 (five directly and three through the second qualifying round)
Number of seeded teams: 4
Number of matches: 2 x 4

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Champions League 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 opponent 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 and 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 (Champions Path)

The 12 teams (12 winners of the second qualifying round ties, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Winners of Pairing 1 to 12), were divided into two groups of six pairings.

Within each of the groups, the pairings were divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded pairings.

As the teams qualifying from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the higher coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw. Therefore, if a team in a tie of the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League has a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the current draw, that pairing was seeded for this draw.

Groupings (Champions Path)

Group 1
Seeded
Winners of Pairing 1: F.C. Copenhagen (DEN) vs FC Drita (KOS)
Winners of Pairing 2: Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) vs FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Winners of Pairing 3: ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)

Unseeded
Winners of Pairing 4: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) vs Breidablik (ISL)
Winners of Pairing 5: FC RFS (LVA) vs Malmö FF (SWE)
Winners of Pairing 6: KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

Group 2
Seeded
Winners of Pairing 7: FC Noah (ARM) vs Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
Winners of Pairing 8: Pafos FC (CYP) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Winners of Pairing 9: Shelbourne FC (IRL) vs Qarabağ FK (AZE)

Unseeded
Winners of Pairing 10: HNK Rijeka (CRO) vs PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
Winners of Pairing 11: Hamrun Spartans F.C. (MLT) vs FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Winners of Pairing 12: KF Shkëndija (MKD) vs Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)

Draw procedure (Champions Path)

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded pairings 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. The first pairing then drawn from this bowl was considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team drawn.

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 group.

Draw system (League Path)

The eight teams (five that enter the competition at this stage and three winners of the second qualifying round ties, indicated for the purpose of this draw as Winners of Pairing 1 to 3) were divided equally into four seeded and four unseeded teams and/or pairings.

As the teams qualifying from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the higher coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw. Therefore, if a team in a tie of the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League had a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the current draw, that pairing was seeded for this draw.

Groupings

Seeded 
SL Benfica (POR)
Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Winners of Pairing 1: Rangers FC (SCO) vs Panathinaikos FC (GRE)
Feyenoord (NED)

Unseeded
Winners of Pairing 2: SK Brann (NOR) vs FC Salzburg (AUT)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
Winners of Pairing 3: FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) vs Servette FC (SUI)
OGC Nice (FRA)

Draw procedure (League Path)

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams and/or pairings 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. The first team then drawn from this bowl was considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team drawn.

The process was then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties.

Draw explanation

A video explaining the draw procedure was shown prior to the draw.

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.