Europa League qualifying: Fixtures, dates, how it works

Thirteen teams have qualified directly for the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. Twelve of the remaining spots will go to those successful in Europa League qualifying and 11 will be awarded to the sides defeated in the UEFA Champions League play-off round.

Qualifying for the UEFA club competitions has been specifically designed to ensure that teams from a minimum of 37 national associations make their way to the league phase of the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.

Losing sides from the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Europa League are given another chance to progress when they parachute down into the Europa League or Conference League. Losing sides from the Champions League and Europa League play-offs go directly into the league phase of the Europa League and Conference League respectively.

For more information about the qualifying competition, including the rules around player registration, see the official regulations.

We explain how qualifying works and list the fixtures and results.

First qualifying round

Teams involved
Main path: 12 (enter in this round)

First legs

All kick-off times CET

Thursday 9 July

Qarabağ 3-0 Vestri
Dynamo Kyiv 0-0 Universitatea Cluj
Sheriff 0-0 Aluminij
CSKA Sofia 3-2 Derry
Hajduk Split 2-0 Žilina
Vojvodina 1-2 Ferencváros

Second legs: 16 July
Derry vs CSKA Sofia (19:30)
Universitatea Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv (19:30)
Aluminij vs Sheriff (20:00)
Ferencváros vs Vojvodina (20:15)
Žilina vs Hajduk Split (20:30)
Vestri vs Qarabağ (22:00)

How does it work?

• The winners of each tie advance to the second qualifying round.
• Defeated sides enter the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.

Second qualifying round

Teams involved
Main path: 18 (12 teams join the six first qualifying round winners)

First legs: 23 July
Hammarby vs Anderlecht
Qarabağ / Vestri vs CSKA Sofia / Derry
Tromsø vs Hradec Králové
Twente vs Vojvodina / Ferencváros
Beşiktaş vs Midtjylland
Hajduk Split / Žilina vs Pafos
Sheriff / Aluminij vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
St. Gallen vs Benfica
Dynamo Kyiv / Universitatea Cluj vs PAOK

Second legs: 30 July 
Anderlecht vs Hammarby
CSKA Sofia / Derry vs Qarabağ / Vestri
Hradec Králové vs Tromsø
Vojvodina / Ferencváros vs Twente
Midtjylland vs Beşiktaş
Pafos vs Hajduk Split / Žilina
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Sheriff / Aluminij
Benfica vs St. Gallen
PAOK vs Dynamo Kyiv / Universitatea Cluj

How does it work?

• The winners of each tie advance to the third qualifying round.
• Defeated sides enter the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.

Third qualifying round

Draw: Monday 20 July
First legs: Thursday 6 August
Second legs: Thursday 13 August

How does it work?

• The winners of each tie advance to the play-off round.
• Defeated sides in the Champions Path and the Main Path enter the UEFA Conference League play-off round.

Play-off round

Draw: Monday 3 August
First legs: Thursday 20 August
Second legs: Thursday 27 August

How does it work?

• The winners of each tie qualify for the league phase.
• Defeated sides enter the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.

League phase draw

Getty Images

The league phase draw for the 2026/27 Europa League takes place on Friday 28 August.