Champions League play-offs: Basel vs Copenhagen facts

Basel return to the UEFA Champions League with a meeting against competition regulars Copenhagen at St. Jakob-Park in the first leg of their play-off tie.

Last match

This is the first meeting between the teams.

Basel’s last encounters with a Danish team were a penalty shoot-out win against Brøndby in the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League third qualifying round (0-1 a, 2-1 h, 3-2 pens).

The Swiss side have won only one of their previous five UEFA matches against Danish clubs (D1 L3).

Copenhagen’s only previous matches against a Swiss team are two 1-0 wins against Lugano in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Basel

This is Basel's 14th Champions League campaign and a first since 2019/20. They are aiming to reach the competition proper for the ninth time – their eight previous appearances a Swiss record – and the first since 2017/18.

Basel's play-off record is W2 L2; they were beaten in the most recent, on away goals by Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2015.

This is Basel’s first Champions League tie since a 2-5 defeat on aggregate against LASK in the 2019/20 third qualifying round (1-2 h, 1-3 a).

Basel were not involved in European competition last season for the first time since 1998/99.

The Swiss side's last European campaign lasted a single tie – a 3-4 aggregate defeat by Tobol of Kazakhstan in the 2023/24 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.

Basel were Swiss champions for the 21st time in 2024/25, their first title since 2017, and also claimed the Swiss Cup to win a seventh domestic double.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s last appearance in the Champions League proper came in 2023/24, their second successive campaign. Overall, they have six group stage/league phase participations, more than any other Danish team.

Copenhagen are the only Danish club to have qualified from a Champions League group stage/league phase, in 2010/11 and 2023/24.

The Danish side's most recent play-off tie was a 2-1 aggregate defeat of Poland's Raków Częstochowa in 2023/24 (1-0 a, 1-1 h), making their record at this stage W4 L5. They have suffered ten eliminations in their 15 previous Champions League qualification campaigns.

In 2024/25, the Danish side went all the way from the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round to the round of 16, where they were beaten 1-3 on aggregate by eventual champions Chelsea.

Key stats

This is Basel's first European game of the season.

Basel have won only one of their last six Champions League qualifiers, losing the other five.

Copenhagen are unbeaten in their four Champions League qualifying matches this season (W3 D1), all without conceding a goal.

The Danish club were 3-0 aggregate winners against Drita of Kosovo in the second qualifying round (2-0 h, 1-0 a) before beating Malmö 5-0 in the third (0-0 a, 5-0 h).

Copenhagen are unbeaten in eight away Champions League qualifiers (W4 D4), keeping six clean sheets.