UEFA Europa League first qualifying round draw

The 2025/26 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round draw was held at 15.00 CET on Tuesday 17 June at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The two-legged ties will take place on 10 and 17 July 2025.

2025/26 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round draw

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) vs Ilves Tampere (FIN)
FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) vs FC Prishtina (KOS)
FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) vs BK Häcken (SWE)
Sabah FC (AZE) vs NK Celje (SVN)
Legia Warszawa (POL) vs FC Aktobe (KAZ)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR)
AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) vs FK Partizan Beograd (SRB)
Paksi FC (HUN) vs CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU)

Seeded teams in bold.

Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by 20 June 2025 (first and second leg).

DRAW PROCEDURE

MAIN PATH
Number of teams involved: 16
Number of seeded teams: 8
Number of matches: 2 x 8
Match days: 10 and 17 July 2025
Kick-off times to be announced by: 20 June 2025 (first and second leg)

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Europa League Regulations (UEL Regulations) the following draw procedure was adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UEL 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 opponents 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 winners 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 may not be drawn against each other:

Armenia – Azerbaijan
Gibraltar – Spain
Kosovo – Bosnia-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

The 16 teams were divided into two groups of eight teams (Groups 1 and 2). Within each of the groups, the teams were divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams.

Groupings

Group 1
Seeded
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
NK Celje (SVN)
FC Spartak Trnava (SVK)

Unseeded
BK Häcken (SWE)
Sabah FC (AZE)
Ilves Tampere (FIN)
FC Prishtina (KOS)

Group 2
Seeded
Legia Warszawa (POL)
FK Partizan Beograd (SRB)
CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU)
Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR)

Unseeded
AEK Larnaca FC (CYP)
Paksi FC (HUN)
PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)
FC Aktobe (KAZ)

Draw procedure

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams 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. One ball was taken from the central bowl and opened to display the team. This team is considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team drawn from this bowl.

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.

Calendar elaboration

The following paragraphs of the UEL 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.