UEFA Youth League domestic champions path draws

The 2025/26 UEFA Youth League domestic champions path first, second and third round draws have been made at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

How the draw worked

FIRST ROUND
Number of teams involved: 20
Number of matches: 2 x 10
Planned match dates: 17 September and 1 October 2025
Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by: 5 September 2025

SECOND ROUND
Number of teams involved: 40 (30 directly and 10 through the first round)
Number of matches: 2 x 20
Planned match dates: 22 October and 5 November 2025
Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by: 3 October 2025

THIRD ROUND
Number of teams involved: 20 (through the second round)
Number of matches: 2 x 10
Planned match dates: 26 November and 10 December 2025
Match dates and kick-off times to be announced by: 7 November 2025

Based on Article 17 of the UEFA Youth League Regulations (UYL Regulations), the following draw procedure was adopted by the Club Competitions Committee. Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UYL Regulations were applicable to the draw:

Match system

18.01: The first, second and third rounds of the domestic champions path are played under the knockout system, whereby each club plays each opponent twice, in home and away matches.

Draw system and conditions

17.01: A draw was conducted to determine the ties and which club plays the first leg at home for each match of the first, second and third rounds. In principle, the pairings are determined by an open draw. If, for any reason, any of the participants in the rounds concerned are not known at the time of the draw, the undecided tie will feature as an option for the draw.

17.02: The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

In accordance with the relevant decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from the following associations may not be drawn against each other:

Gibraltar – Spain
Kosovo – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Kosovo – Serbia
Ukraine – Belarus

DRAW SYSTEM

The draw for the first, second and third round was carried out using a bracket with each team of each respective group drawn into a vacant position in the bracket. There is no seeding of participants in the UEFA Youth League domestic champions path.

First round

The 20 teams were divided into two groups of four teams (Groups 1 and 4) and two groups of six teams (Groups 2 and 3).

Second round

The 30 teams were divided into two groups of eight teams (Groups 1 and 4) and two groups of seven teams (Groups 2 and 3).

DRAW PROCEDURE

First round

One bowl was prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the four teams of Group 1. The balls were shuffled, and one team was drawn and opened to reveal the team.

The team displayed was allocated to the first available spot in the bracket. A second ball was then be drawn from the bowl in the same way and allocated to the next available spot in the bracket. The process continued in the same way with the remaining balls in the bowl to place all teams into the bracket.

Drawing the teams in this way created the pairings of the Group 1 teams for the first round, as well as determining the order of the matches, as the team drawn into the top row of each match pairing in the bracket will play the first-leg match at home.

The procedure was then repeated for the remaining groups in order to fill the first round bracket.

Second round

Again, one bowl was prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the eight teams of Group 1 of the second round placed in this bowl, where they were shuffled.

One ball was drawn and opened to reveal the team. This team was allocated to the first available position in the bracket in the second round. The process continued the same way with the remaining balls of Group 1 and then repeated for the remaining groups.

When each second round direct qualified team was drawn, and where the first available vacancy was in the bracket at that point, determined whether the team would play against a team qualifying from the first round, or against another team entering directly in the second round.

Similarly, the bracket also determined the order of the matches, with the team (or first round pairing) in the top row of each pairing in the bracket playing the first-leg match at home.

Third round

As the teams were positioned in the bracket by the first and second round draws, the ties and the order of the matches was already determined by the position of the teams after the draws for the previous rounds.

The teams qualifying from the second round follow the path of the bracket into the third round and, as in the previous rounds, the team in the top row of each match pairing will play the first leg of the relevant tie at home.

PARTICIPANTS 

First round 

Group 1
HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)
FC Dinamo-Minsk (BLR)
FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
FC Ordabasy (KAZ)

Group 2
FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
Shelbourne FC (IRL)
Larne FC (NIR)
Racing FC Union Luxembourg (LUX)
FK Rabotnicki (MKD)
Haverfordwest County AFC (WAL)

Group 3
HJK Helsinki (FIN)
FS Jelgava (LVA)
Víkingur (FRO)
KA Akureyri (ISL)
NFA Be1 (LTU)
JK Narva Trans (EST)

Group 4
Naxxar Lions FC (MLT)
KF Skënderbeu (ALB)
Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB)

Second round

Group 1
Real Betis Balompié (ESP)
FC Porto (POR)
FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR)
AEK Larnaca FC (CYP)
PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
NK Bravo (SVN)

Group 2
1. FC Köln (GER)
FC Nantes (FRA)
FC Baník Ostrava (CZE)
FC Midtjylland (DEN)
FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Sabah FC (AZE)
MŠK Žilina (SVK)

Group 3
ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
KRC Genk (BEL)
Trabzonspor A.Ş. (TUR)
PAOK FC (GRE)
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Legia Warszawa (POL)
Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)

Group 4
Aston Villa FC (ENG)
AZ Alkmaar (NED)
Hibernian F.C. (SCO)
SK Brann (NOR)
FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Puskás Akadémia FC (HUN)
IF Brommapojkarna (SWE)
Football Club 2 Korriku (KOS)

Draw explanation

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

Calendar elaboration

The following paragraphs of the UYL Regulations are applicable to the match calendar:

22.03: For the domestic champions path first, second and third rounds, the following principles apply:

a) Unless the clubs and UEFA agree otherwise, matches are played on Wednesday (see Annex C).

b) In principle, the relevant teams play their first-round matches in matchweeks one and two of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, their second-round matches in matchweeks three and four of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League and their third-round matches in matchweeks five and six of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

c) If both clubs and the UEFA administration agree, matches may also be played on other dates.

22.05: Match dates must be announced to opponents and the UEFA administration by the following dates:

b) Round 1 of domestic champions path: 5 September 2025
c) Round 2 of domestic champions path: 3 October 2025
d) Round 3 of domestic champions path: 7 November 2025

23.06: Kick-off times must be announced using the dedicated online tool by the deadline set by the UEFA administration.

23.07: The home club decides the kick-off times of non-televised matches, in consultation with the visiting club. UEFA reserves the right to decide on the kick-off times of televised matches after consulting with both clubs involved. UEFA sets the kick-off times for the semi-finals and the final.