Champions League qualifying play-off first leg: N.E.C. Nijmegen vs Bodø/Glimt facts

N.E.C. Nijmegen have their eyes on a first appearance in the UEFA Champions League proper as they welcome 2025/26 debutants Bodø/Glimt to Netherlands for the first leg of their qualifying play-off.

Previous meetings

This is the teams' first meeting in UEFA competition.

N.E.C.'s only previous tie against Norwegian opponents was in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup first round, when they beat Brann 2-1 on aggregate (1-1 h, 1-0 a).

Bodø/Glimt's record in eight matches against Dutch teams is W2 D3 L3.

The Norwegian side's last encounter with an Eredivisie team was a 6-4 aggregate win against Twente in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League knockout phase play-offs (1-2 a, 5-2 h), the second leg ending a six-game run without a win (D3 L3).

That made Glimt's aggregate record in two-legged ties against Dutch clubs W2 L1.

Form guide

N.E.C.

This is N.E.C.'s first European Cup campaign and only their fifth participation in UEFA competition.

The Dutch club have not featured in Europe since reaching the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32, losing 0-4 to Hamburg after finishing third in their group.

Bodø/Glimt 

This is Bodø/Glimt's fifth Champions League campaign – all since 2021.

Bodø/Glimt made their debut in the Champions League proper last season, eventually losing to Sporting CP in the round of 16 (3-0 h, 0-5 a aet) after beating Inter in the knockout phase play-offs. They were the third Norwegian side to feature in the competition proper, after Rosenborg (11 times) and Molde (once), and the first since Rosenborg in 2007/08.

Glimt are in the qualifying play-offs for the third season in a row having lost 2-3 on aggregate to Crvena Zvezda in 2024/25; they defeated Sturm Graz 6-2 at this stage last season (5-0 h, 1-2 a). They also went down 2-4 to GNK Dinamo in 2022/23.

Links and trivia

N.E.C. beat Olympiacos 2-1 on aggregate in this season's third qualifying round (0-0 a, 2-1 h aet) – their first European games in 17 years.

The Nijmegen side have won the first leg in only one of their seven European ties (D3 L3).

Bodø/Glimt have won six of their last eight European matches (D1 L1).

Kjetil Knutsen's side have scored two or more goals in nine of their last ten European games, defeating Union Saint-Gilloise 6-5 on aggregate in this season's third qualifying round (3-3 a, 3-2 h aet).

Ole Didrik Blomberg scored in both legs of that tie.