UEFA Conference League play-off round draw

The 2025/26 UEFA Conference League play-off round draw took place at 14:00 CET on Monday 4 August at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The two-legged ties will take place on 21 and 28 August.

2025/26 UEFA Conference League play-off round draw

Champions path

Hamrun Spartans F.C./Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC vs FC RFS/KuPS Kuopio
HNK Rijeka/Shelbourne FC vs Víkingur/Linfield FC
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar/Breiðablik vs FC Milsami Orhei/Virtus A.C. 1964
Fotbal Club FCSB/FC Drita vs FC Differdange 03/FCI Levadia Tallinn
NK Olimpija Ljubljana/KF Egnatia vs Lincoln Red Imps FC/FC Noah

Main path

Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace vs Víkingur Reykjavík/Brøndby IF
Silkeborg IF/Jagiellonia Białystok vs HNK Hajduk Split/FC Dinamo City
Panathinaikos FC/FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs Servette FC/FC Utrecht
RSC Anderlecht/FC Sheriff Tiraspol vs Aris Limassol FC/AEK Athens FC
Viking FK/İstanbul Başakşehir FK vs Universitatea Craiova/FC Spartak Trnava
Crystal Palace FC* vs Fredrikstad FK/FC Midtjylland
FC Lugano/NK Celje vs FC Baník Ostrava/FK Austria Wien
Raków Częstochowa/Maccabi Haifa FC vs FK Kauno Žalgiris/PFC Arda Kardzhali 1924
FK Partizan Beograd/Hibernian F.C. vs AEK Larnaca FC/Legia Warszawa
PFC Levski Sofia/Sabah FC vs AZ Alkmaar/FC Vaduz
FC Polissya/Paksi FC vs ACF Fiorentina
AIK Stockholm/ETO FC Győr vs SK Rapid/Dundee United FC
Kĺ Klaksvík/FC Neman Grodno vs Rayo Vallecano de Madrid
FC Lausanne-Sport/FC Astana vs St. Patrick's Athletic/Beşiktaş JK
Larne FC/CD Santa Clara vs FC Ballkani/Shamrock Rovers FC
Rosenborg BK/Hammarby Fotboll vs 1. FSV Mainz 05
AC Sparta Praha/FC Ararat-Armenia vs Riga FC/Beitar Jerusalem FC
BK Häcken/SK Brann vs CFR 1907 Cluj/SC Braga 
PAOK FC/Wolfsberger AC vs Araz-Naxçıvan PFK/Omonoia FC

Seeded teams in bold.

*The participation of Crystal Palace FC is subject to pending legal proceedings.

Draw procedure

CHAMPIONS PATH
Number of teams involved: 10 (4 pairings coming from the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round champions path and 6 pairings coming from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round champions path)
Number of seeded teams: 5
Number of matches: 2 x 5

MAIN PATH
Number of teams involved: 38 (5 directly, 26 pairings coming from the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round main path and 7 pairings coming from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round main path)
Number of seeded teams: 19
Number of matches: 2 x 19

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Conference League Regulations (UECL Regulations), the following draw procedure was adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UECL 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 concerned are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficients of the two clubs involved in the undecided tie are used for the purposes of the draw. For the club advancing to the next round of the competition as winner of the tie, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved is used for the purposes of the draw. For the other club, which is fed into the relevant round of the competition from another competition, the lower coefficient of the two clubs in the pairing of the other competition 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. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

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 could 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 ten pairings (four pairings of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round ties (champions path), indicated for the purposes of the draw as Winners of Pairings 1 to 4, and six pairings coming from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round champions path, indicated for the purpose of the draw as Pairings 1 to 6) were divided equally into five seeded and five unseeded pairings.

As the teams qualifying from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Conference 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 Conference League had a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the current draw, that pairing was seeded for this draw.

As the teams entering the competition from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the lower coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided UEFA Europa League previous qualifying round tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw.

Groupings (Champions Path)

Seeded
Winners of Pairing 1: NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs KF Egnatia (ALB)
Pairing 1: FC RFS (LVA) vs KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
Pairing 2: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs FC Drita (KOS)
Pairing 3: HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH) vs Breiðablik (ISL)
Winners of Pairing 2: Víkingur (FRO) vs Linfield FC (NIR)

Unseeded
Winners of Pairing 3: FC Differdange 03 (LUX) vs FCI Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Pairing 4: Hamrun Spartans F.C. (MLT) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Winners of Pairing 4: FC Milsami Orhei (MDA) vs Virtus A.C. 1964 (SMR)
Pairing 5: Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) vs FC Noah (ARM)
Pairing 6: HNK Rijeka (CRO) vs Shelbourne FC (IRL)

Draw procedure (Champions Path)

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded 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 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.

Draw system (Main Path)

The 38 teams were divided into three groups of ten teams and pairings (Groups 1 to 3) and one group of eight teams and pairings (Group 4), with an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams and pairings in each group.

As the teams qualifying from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Conference 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 Conference League had a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the current draw, that pairing was seeded for this draw.

As the teams entering the competition from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the lower coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided UEFA Europa League previous qualifying round tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw.

Groupings (Main Path)

Group 1
Seeded
1: AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs FC Vaduz (LIE)
2: RSC Anderlecht (BEL) vs FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
3: FC Lugano (SUI) vs NK Celje (SVN)
4: Rayo Vallecano de Madrid (ESP)
5: Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (FRA)

Unseeded
6: Kĺ Klaksvík (FRO) vs FC Neman Grodno (BLR)
7: Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL) vs Brøndby IF (DEN)
8: Aris Limassol FC (CYP) vs AEK Athens FC (GRE)
9: FC Baník Ostrava (CZE) vs FK Austria Wien (AUT)
10: PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) vs Sabah FC (AZE)

Group 2
Seeded
1: ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
2: Viking FK (NOR) vs İstanbul Başakşehir FK (TUR)
3: Raków Częstochowa (POL) vs Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR)
4: St. Patrick's Athletic (IRL) vs Beşiktaş JK (TUR)
5: Silkeborg IF (DEN) vs Jagiellonia Białystok (POL)

Unseeded
6: FC Lausanne-Sport (SUI) vs FC Astana (KAZ)
7: HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) vs FC Dinamo City (ALB)
8: Universitatea Craiova (ROU) vs FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)
9: FK Kauno Žalgiris (LTU) vs PFC Arda Kardzhali 1924 (BUL)
10: FC Polissya (UKR) vs Paksi FC (HUN)

Group 3
Seeded
1: SK Rapid (AUT) vs Dundee United FC (SCO)
2*: Crystal Palace FC (ENG)
3: FK Partizan Beograd (SRB) vs Hibernian F.C. (SCO)
4: FC Ballkani (KOS) vs Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)
5: Panathinaikos FC (GRE) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

Unseeded
6: Larne FC (NIR) vs CD Santa Clara (POR)
7: Servette FC (SUI) vs FC Utrecht (NED)
8: Fredrikstad FK (NOR) vs FC Midtjylland (DEN)
9: AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) vs Legia Warszawa (POL)
10: AIK Stockholm (SWE) vs ETO FC Győr (HUN)

Group 4
Seeded
1: AC Sparta Praha (CZE) vs FC Ararat-Armenia (ARM)
2: CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU) vs SC Braga (POR)
3: Araz-Naxçıvan PFK (AZE) vs Omonoia FC (CYP)
4: 1. FSV Mainz 05 (GER)

Unseeded
5: Riga FC (LVA) vs Beitar Jerusalem FC (ISR)
6: PAOK FC (GRE) vs Wolfsberger AC (AUT)
7: Rosenborg BK (NOR) vs Hammarby Fotboll (SWE)
8: BK Häcken (SWE) vs SK Brann (NOR)

* The participation of Crystal Palace FC (ENG) (Group 3) is subject to pending legal proceedings.

Draw procedure (Main Path)

Groups 1 to 3

All the clubs in each of the three groups were randomly assigned a number: 1 to 5 for the seeded teams/pairings and 6 to 10 for the unseeded teams/pairings.

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the numbers for the seeded and unseeded teams for Groups 1-3 placed in the correspondingly marked bowls.

One ball was taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they were shuffled. The teams represented by the first number then drawn from this bowl were considered the home team of the first pairing of all three groups, and they will play against the teams indicated by the number of the ball drawn second from this bowl.

For example, if the first ball drawn contained the number 2 and the second the number 8, the clubs that had been assigned the numbers 2 and 8 in each of the three groups would play each other. The first ball drawn, here containing the number 2, designated the home team for the first leg in all three ties.

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

Group 4

The procedure was exactly the same as above, with the only difference being that the seeded teams and/or pairings were assigned numbers 1 to 4, and the unseeded teams and/or pairings assigned numbers 5 to 8.

Draw explanation

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

Calendar elaboration

The following paragraphs of the UECL 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 matches in the qualifying phase and the play-offs are fixed by the home clubs in consultation with their respective associations and must be confirmed to the UEFA administration by the deadline set by the UEFA administration. 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.