UEFA Youth League domestic champions path latest

The new-look 2024/25 UEFA Youth League domestic champions path is in progress, with the first round now complete and the likes of holders Olympiacos ready to enter the fray when the second round begins on 22 October.

Among those who got through to join the 28 clubs beginning in the second round are teams from two of the six associations represented for the first time: Kosovo's 2 Korriku and Malta's Valletta, who produced a dramatic late second-leg comeback against Honka Espoo of Finland before winning on penalties.

Other clubs became the first from their countries to get through a round of this competition: Montenegro's Budućnost Podgorica, Latvia's Daugavpils (who conceded in the 90th minute against Cliftonville, equalised deep in added time then won on spot kicks), Luxembourg's Progrès Niederkorn, Estonia's Tallinna Kalev – setting up a tie with Olympiacos – and Lithuania's Žalgiris, who now face Manchester United.

How the domestic champions path works

Under the new format, the entry in this path has increased from 32 to 52 teams, with an extra round and ten teams progressing to the new round of 32, rather than eight to the play-offs as previously.

• The domestic champions path is played as three rounds of two-legged ties, all drawn on Tuesday 3 September.
• The 24 clubs from the lowest-ranked entering associations began in the first round.
• Clubs from the 28 top-ranked entering associations, including holders Olympiacos, begin their campaigns in the second round.
• The ten third-round winners will progress to the round of 32 and will be drawn against the teams finishing between seventh and 16th in the UEFA Champions League path league phase.

All times CET

Second round

First legs

Tuesday 22 October
Braga vs SK Rapid (16:00)
Genk vs CSKA-Sofia (18:00)

Wednesday 23 October
Daugavpils vs Sassuolo (12:00)
Legia Warszawa vs Pafos (12:00)
Dynamo Kyiv vs Maribor (13:00)
 2 Korriku vs UCD (14:00)
Lokomotiva Zagreb vs Dinamo-Minsk (14:00)
Farul Constanța vs IMT Novi Beograd (14:00)
Real Betis vs Kairat (16:00)
Olympiacos vs Tallinna Kalev (16:00)
IFK Göteborg vs Hoffenheim (18:00)
Trenčín vs Zbrojovka Brno (18:00)
Žalgiris vs Manchester United (18:00)
Trabzonspor vs Budućnost Podgorica (18:00)
Auxerre vs Valletta (19:00)
Basel vs Sabah (19:00)
Progrès Niederkorn vs Midtjylland (19:00)
Strømsgodset vs AZ Alkmaar (19:00)
Aberdeen vs Puskás Akadémia (20:45)

Tuesday 5 November
Maccabi Petah-Tikva vs FK Sarajevo (15:00)

Second legs

Sunday 27 October
Dinamo-Minsk vs Lokomotiva Zagreb (14:00)

Tuesday 5 November
Midtjylland vs Progrès Niederkorn (19:00) 

Wednesday 6 November
Kairat vs Real Betis (10:00)
IMT Novi Beograd vs Farul Constanța (13:00)
SK Rapid vs Braga (15:00)
CSKA-Sofia vs Genk (15:00)
Pafos vs Legia Warszawa (15:00)
Puskás Akadémia vs Aberdeen (16:00)
Sabah vs Basel (16:00)
Maribor vs Dynamo Kyiv (17:00)
Zbrojovka Brno vs Trenčín (17:00)
Budućnost Podgorica vs Trabzonspor (17:00)
Hoffenheim vs IFK Göteborg (18:00)
AZ Alkmaar vs Strømsgodset (18:00)
Valletta vs Auxerre (18:00)
Tallinna Kalev vs Olympiacos (18:00)
Sassuolo vs Daugavpils (19:00)
UCD vs 2 Korriku (20:00)
Manchester United vs Žalgiris (20:00)

Saturday 9 November
FK Sarajevo vs Maccabi Petah-Tikva (15:00)

Team guide

• Holders Olympiacos and 2022/23 winners AZ Alkmaar start in this round. Both began their victorious seasons in the domestic champions path, which had only previously produced one winner – Salzburg in 2016/17.

• Midtjylland have progressed through the domestic champions path a record six times.

• Auxerre will be the 14th different French competitors in the competition as a whole, sharing the record with Germany.

• Along with Auxerre, also making their debuts in round 2 are Aberdeen, CSKA-Sofia, IFK Göteborg, IMT, Rapid Wien, Real Betis, Sabah, Sassuolo, Strømsgodset and Zbrojovka Brno.

• Debutants through from round 1 are 2 Korriku and Valletta, the first entrants from Kosovo and Malta respectively, plus Budućnost Podgorica, Progrès Niederkorn and Tallinna Kalev.

• Prior to their merger with Farul, Viitorul previously reached the 2016/17 round of 16.

Third-round draw

Matches: 27 November & 11 December (schedule TBC)

Dynamo Kyiv / Maribor vs 2 Korriku / UCD
Strømsgodset / AZ Alkmaar vs Žalgiris / Manchester United
Aberdeen / Puskás Akadémia vs Genk / CSKA-Sofia
Auxerre / Valletta vs IFK Göteborg / Hoffenheim
Legia Warszawa / Pafos vs Progrès Niederkorn / Midtjylland
Real Betis / Kairat vs Daugavpils / Sassuolo
Farul Constanța / IMT Novi Beograd vs Lokomotiva Zagreb / Dinamo-Minsk 
Trenčín / Zbrojovka Brno vs Olympiacos / Tallinna Kalev 
Basel / Sabah vs Braga / SK Rapid 
Maccabi Petah-Tikva / FK Sarajevo vs Trabzonspor / Budućnost Podgorica

First-round results

Second legs

Wednesday 2 October
2 Korriku 2-1 Bylis (agg: 4-2)
Academia Rebeja Chisinau 1-4 Kairat (agg: 2-6)
Maribor 2-0 Lincoln Red Imps (agg: 8-0)
FK Sarajevo 2-0 AP Brera Strumica (agg: 4-2)
Budućnost Podgorica 4-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (agg: 6-4)
Progrès Niederkorn 3-0 HB (agg: 5-1)
Valletta 3-2 Honka Espoo (agg: 3-3, Valletta win 3-0 on penalties)
FC Santa Coloma 0-4 Tallinna Kalev (agg: 0-11)
Cliftonville 2-1 Daugavpils (agg: 2-2, Daugavpils win 4-2 on penalties)
Stjarnan 3-2 UCD (agg: 3-5)

Tuesday 1 October
The New Saints 0-4 Žalgiris (agg: 2-7)

Sunday 22 September
Pyunik 1-2 Dinamo-Minsk (agg: 3-6) 

First legs

Wednesday 18 September 
Kairat 2-1 Academia Rebeja Chisinau 
Bylis 1-2 2 Korriku 
Daugavpils 1-0 Cliftonville 
Dinamo Tbilisi 3-2 Budućnost Podgorica
Honka Espoo 1-0 Valletta
Žalgiris 3-2 The New Saints 
Dinamo-Minsk 4-2 Pyunik
Tallinna Kalev 7-0 FC Santa Coloma 
Lincoln Red Imps 0-6 Maribor 
HB 1-2 Progrès Niederkorn 
UCD 3-0 Stjarnan

Tuesday 17 September 
AP Brera Strumica 2-2 FK Sarajevo

Team guide

• Making their debuts in this round were 2 Korriku, Academia Rebeja, Brera Strumica, Budućnost Podgorica, Bylis, Cliftonville, FC Santa Coloma, HB, Lincoln Red Imps, Progrès Niederkorn, Tallinna Kalev, TNS and Valletta.

• Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Malta and Wales were represented for the first time.

Knockouts & final four

A single knockout phase will be played with one-legged ties, starting with the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.

A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards.

The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final) played at Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon, Switzerland.

Knockout draw and match dates

Round of 32 draw: 20 December, Nyon 
Round of 32: 11/12 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 4/5 March
Quarter-finals: 1/2 April
Semi-finals: 25 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
Final: 28 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)