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UEFA Youth League domestic champions path report

Four competition debutants are among the eight teams that made it through the two-round domestic champions path to earn play-off berths.

Deportivo beat Maccabi Haifa in front of a record crowd for the domestic champions path
Deportivo beat Maccabi Haifa in front of a record crowd for the domestic champions path Deportivo La Coruña

Four competition debutants are among the eight teams that made it through the two-round UEFA Youth League domestic champions path to earn play-off berths.

The 32 clubs involved in the UEFA Champions League path were those that took part in this season's group stage of the senior competition. They were joined in the tournament by the 32 domestic youth champions from the highest-ranked entering associations whose senior side had not qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage – and these teams participated in the domestic champions path.

The 16 first-round ties were played in September and October. The second round ran in November and December.

The eight second-round winners in the domestic champions path progress to February's play-offs, where they will face the runners-up of the eight UEFA Champions League path groups. The winners of those ties, drawn at 12:00 CET on Tuesday 14 December, then advance to the round of 16 where they join the UEFA Champions League path group winners.

Through to play-offs

Domestic champions path winners: AZ Alkmaar, Deportivo La Coruña, Empoli, Genk, Hajduk Split, Midtjylland, Rangers, Žilina

UEFA Champions League path group stage runners-up: Atlético, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Club Brugge, Dynamo Kyiv, Inter, Sevilla, Villarreal

Champions League path group games

Second round ties

• Midtjylland have successfully navigated the domestic champions path on all their record five entries in the six seasons since its introduction.

• AZ, Deportivo, Empoli and Hajduk are through on debut while Genk and Žilina have made it to the play-offs for the first time. Rangers previously reached the play-offs in 2019/20.

• 12,189 fans watched Deportivo's first leg at home to Maccabi Haifa, the most ever in the domestic champions path and the fifth-highest crowd in UEFA Youth League history.

SECOND LEGS

Wednesday 8 December
Maccabi Haifa 3-0 Deportivo La Coruña (agg: 4-5)

Tuesday 7 December
Rangers 3-0 Septemvri Sofia (agg: 7-2)

Wednesday 24 November
Kairat Almaty 1-0 Žilina (agg: 3-3, Žilina win 3-0 on pens)
FC Minsk 1-1 Hajduk Split (agg: 1-4)

Tuesday 23 November
Midtjylland 5-0 Trabzonspor (agg: 10-2)
AZ Alkmaar 0-1 Angers (agg: 1-1, AZ win 5-4 on pens)
Genk 1-0 MTK Budapest (agg: 3-1)
Empoli 5-0 Crvena zvezda (agg: 6-1)

Debutants Empoli came through
Debutants Empoli came throughGetty Images

FIRST LEGS

Wednesday 24 November
Septemvri Sofia 2-4 Rangers 

Wednesday 3 November
MTK Budapest 1-2 Genk
Crvena zvezda 1-1 Empoli 
Žilina 3-2 Kairat Almaty 
Hajduk Split 3-0 FC Minsk 
Angers 0-1 AZ Alkmaar 
Deportivo La Coruña 5-1 Maccabi Haifa 

Tuesday 2 November
Trabzonspor 2-5 Midtjylland  

No more away goals rule

There has been a rule change for 2021/22: Ties level after the second leg go to a penalty shoot-out if required, irrespective of the number of away goals a team has scored. As before, extra time is not played in any UEFA Youth League tie.

First round results

• The crowd of 8,522 at the first round second leg between Deportivo La Coruña and Pogoń Szczecin was the highest ever in the domestic champions path, until the Spanish side topped it in the second round. Depor trailed 3-0 from the first leg but won the return 4-0 in added time.

• Competition newcomers AZ, Angers, Deportivo, Empoli, Hajduk and Trabzonspor were among the first-round winners, as were two-time quarter-finalists Midtjylland.

• Žalgiris were the first UEFA Youth League entrants from Lithuania, and Akademia e Futbollit, Csikszereda, Daugavpils, Köln, Pogoń Szczecin, Saint Patrick's Athletic and Zvijezda 09 also made debuts in the opening round.

Angers celebrate after reaching the second round
Angers celebrate after reaching the second roundIcon Sport via Getty Images

SECOND LEGS

Wednesday 20 October
Trabzonspor 2-0 Zvijezda 09 (agg: 3-0)
Kairat Almaty 1-0 APOEL (agg: 2-1)
FC Minsk 2-0 Daugavpils (agg: 6-0)
Sparta Praha 3-3 MTK Budapest (agg: 4-6)
Angers 3-0 Csikszereda (agg: 5-0)
Žilina 2-0 PAOK (agg: 7-1)
Hajduk Split 3-1 Shkëndija (agg: 5-1)
Crvena zvezda 2-0 Saint Patrick's Athletic (agg: 4-1)
Maccabi Haifa 2-0 Žalgiris Vilnius (agg: 5-0)
Hammarby 1-2 Rangers (agg: 1-5)
Empoli 1-1 Domžale (agg: 3-2)
Deportivo La Coruña 4-0 Pogoń Szczecin (agg: 4-3)

Tuesday 19 October
Midtjylland 10-1 Rosenborg (agg: 14-3)
AZ Alkmaar 7-0 Gabala (agg: 11-0)
Genk 3-1 Köln
(agg: 7-3)
Akademia e Futibollit 1-1 Septemvri Sofia (agg: 1-4)

Crvena zvezda knocked out St Patrick's Athletic
Crvena zvezda knocked out St Patrick's AthleticSPORTSFILE

FIRST LEGS

Thursday 30 September
Shkëndija 0-2 Hajduk Split 
Rosenborg 2-4 Midtjylland 

Wednesday 29 September
Daugavpils 0-4 FC Minsk 
Gabala 0-4 AZ Alkmaar 
Zvijezda 09 0-1 Trabzonspor
APOEL 1-1 Kairat Almaty 
Septemvri Sofia 3-0 Akademia e Futibollit
MTK Budapest 3-1 Sparta Praha

Csikszereda 0-2 Angers
 
Köln 2-4 Genk 
PAOK 1-5 Žilina
Pogoń Szczecin 3-0 Deportivo La Coruña 
Domžale 1-2 Empoli 
St. Patrick's Athletic 1-2 Crvena zvezda 

Tuesday 28 September
Žalgiris Vilnius 0-3 Maccabi Haifa 
Rangers 3-0 Hammarby 

Knockout dates

Play-off draw: 14 December, Nyon
Play-offs: 8/9 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 1/2 March
Quarter-finals: 15/16 March
Semi-finals: 22 April, Nyon
Final: 25 April, Nyon