2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying
2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying was the preliminary phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification consisted of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It began on 10 July and ended on 28 August 2025.[1]
A total of 155 teams competed in the qualifying system of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, which included the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 21 teams in the Champions Path and 134 teams in the Main Path. The 24 winners of the play-off round advanced to the league phase, to join the 12 losers of the Europa League play-off round.[2][3]
Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Format
The qualifying phase and play-off round were split into two paths – the Champions Path and the Main Path. The Champions Path contained teams which were eliminated from the Champions League Champions Path, and the Europa League Champions Path and the Main Path contained teams which qualified through their domestic league or as domestic cup winners, as well as teams eliminated from the Europa League Main Path.
Each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time was played, and if the same number of goals was scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out.[4]
In the draws for each round, teams were seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team was drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round may not have been known at the time of the draws, the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to the subsequent round, which meant if the team with the lower coefficient advanced, it simply took the seeding of its opponent.
Prior to the draws, UEFA could form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, purely for the convenience of the draw and not to resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA could not be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie could be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.
Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows. Matches were scheduled for Thursdays, though exceptionally could take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.[1]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round | 17 June 2025 | 10 July 2025 | 17 July 2025 |
| Second qualifying round | 18 June 2025 | 24 July 2025 | 31 July 2025 |
| Third qualifying round | 21 July 2025 | 7 August 2025 | 14 August 2025 |
| Play-off round | 4 August 2025 | 21 August 2025 | 28 August 2025 |
Teams
Champions Path
The Champions Path included league champions which were eliminated from the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Champions League and the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Europa League and consisted of the following rounds:
- Second qualifying round (12 teams): 12 of the 14 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round (two of the teams received a bye to the third qualifying round).
- Third qualifying round (8 teams): 6 winners of the second qualifying round, and 2 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round that received a bye.
- Play-off round (10 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round, and 6 losers of the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round.
Below were the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients, not used as seeding for the Champions Path, however),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Winners of play-off round advanced to league phase |
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|
- Notes
- UEL CH Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
- UCL Q1 Losers of Champions League first qualifying round.
Main Path
The Main Path included league non-champions and domestic cup winners and consisted of the following rounds:
- First qualifying round (48 teams): 48 teams which entered in this round.
- Second qualifying round (88 teams): 56 teams which entered in this round, 8 losers of the Europa League Main Path first qualifying round, and 24 winners of the first qualifying round.
- Third qualifying round (52 teams): 8 losers of the Europa League Main Path second qualifying round, 44 winners of the second qualifying round and one winner of the first qualifying round.
- Play-off round (38 teams): 5 teams which entered this round, 7 losers of the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round, and 26 winners of the third qualifying round.
Below were the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Winners of play-off round advanced to league phase |
- Notes
- UEL MP Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).
- UEL MP Q2 Losers of Europa League second qualifying round (Main Path).
- UEL MP Q1 Losers of Europa League first qualifying round (Main Path).
- † Slovak club DAC Dunajská Streda (8.000) originally entered the competition and took part in the second qualifying round draw, but were later replaced by Košice.
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.[6]
Seeding
A total of 48 teams played in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA allocated the teams into six groups of four seeded teams and four unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[7] Teams were pre-assigned numbers by UEFA so that the draw could be held in one run for all groups. The first team drawn in each tie was designated the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
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| Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 | |||
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
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Summary
The first legs were played on 8 and 10 July, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 July 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the second qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSÍ | 4–5 | HJK | 4–0 | 0–5 (a.e.t.) |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | 5–4 | Ordabasy | 4–3 | 1–1 |
| Željezničar | 2–4 | Koper | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| SJK | 1–4 | KÍ | 1–2 | 0–2 |
| Nõmme Kalju | 2–1 | Partizani | 1–1 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Tre Fiori | 1–5 | Pyunik | 1–0 | 0–5 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 3–0 | Hegelmann | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Dečić | 3–2 | Sileks | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Sutjeska | 3–2 | Dynamo Brest | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Larne | 2–2 (4–2 p) | Auda | 0–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Floriana | 5–3 | Haverfordwest County | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino | 4–0 | Rabotnicki | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Magpies | 3–7 | Paide Linnameeskond | 2–3 | 1–4 |
| Birkirkara | 1–3 | Petrocub Hîncești | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Atlètic Club d'Escaldes | 5–2 | F91 Dudelange | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| Valur | 5–1 | Flora | 3–0 | 2–1 |
| Malisheva | 0–9 | Víkingur Reykjavík | 0–1 | 0–8 |
| Racing Union | 1–3 | Dila Gori | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Vllaznia | 4–3 | Daugavpils | 0–1 | 4–2 |
| Urartu | 1–6 | Neman Grodno | 1–2 | 0–4 |
| Vardar | 5–2[a] | La Fiorita | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| Kauno Žalgiris | 4–1 | Penybont | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| St Joseph's | 5–4 | Cliftonville | 2–2 | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Borac Banja Luka | 3–4 | FC Santa Coloma | 1–4 | 2–0 |
- ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.
Matches
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025.
Seeding
A total of 100 teams played in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[8] The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 | |||
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 7 | Group 8 | Group 9 | |||
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
- Notes
- † Losers of the Champions League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
- †† Winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
- ††† Losers of the Europa League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
- & DAC Dunajská Streda took part in the draw, but were later replaced by Košice.
Summary
The first legs were played on 22, 23 and 24 July, and the second legs were played on 29 and 31 July 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Víkingur Gøta | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| Virtus | Bye | N/A | — | — |
| FCI Levadia | 3–2 | Iberia 1999 | 1–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Žalgiris | 0–2 | Linfield | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| The New Saints | 0–2 | Differdange 03 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 5–3 | Inter Club d'Escaldes | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Budućnost Podgorica | 1–2 | Milsami Orhei | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Dinamo Minsk | 0–3 | Egnatia | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Main Path | ||||
| Dundee United | 2–0 | UNA Strassen | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Larne | 1–1 (5–4 p) | Prishtina | 0–0 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Košice | 3–4 | Neman Grodno | 2–3 | 1–1 |
| Vaduz | 3–1 | Dungannon Swifts | 0–1 | 3–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Silkeborg | 4–3 | KA | 1–1 | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Rosenborg | 7–0 | Banga | 5–0 | 2–0 |
| Atlètic Club d'Escaldes | 2–3 | Dinamo City | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Austria Wien | 7–0 | Spaeri | 2–0 | 5–0 |
| Ballkani | 5–3 | Floriana | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| Viking | 12–3 | Koper | 7–0 | 5–3 |
| AEK Athens | 1–0 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Pyunik | 3–4 | Győri ETO | 2–1 | 1–3 |
| Riga | 5–4 | Dila Gori | 2–1 | 3–3 |
| Raków Częstochowa | 6–1 | Žilina | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Petrocub Hîncești | 1–6 | Sabah | 0–2 | 1–4 |
| Ararat-Armenia | 2–1 | Universitatea Cluj | 0–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Varaždin | 2–3 | Santa Clara | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Kauno Žalgiris | 3–2 | Valur | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Paks | 2–1 | Maribor | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Vllaznia | 4–5 | Víkingur Reykjavík | 2–1 | 2–4 (a.e.t.) |
| Hammarby IF | 2–1 | Charleroi | 0–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Radnički 1923 | 0–1 | KÍ | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Novi Pazar | 2–5 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Polissya Zhytomyr | 5–3 | FC Santa Coloma | 1–2 | 4–1 |
| Vardar | 2–6 | Lausanne-Sport | 2–1 | 0–5 |
| HB | 1–2 | Brøndby | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Oleksandriya | 0–6 | Partizan | 0–2 | 0–4 |
| Hibernians | 2–7 | Spartak Trnava | 1–2 | 1–5 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 3–2 | Nõmme Kalju | 1–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Paide Linnameeskond | 0–8[a] | AIK | 0–2 | 0–6 |
| Sarajevo | 2–5 | Universitatea Craiova | 2–1 | 0–4 |
| Aris Limassol | 5–2 | Puskás Akadémia | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| St Joseph's | 0–4 | Shamrock Rovers | 0–4 | 0–0 |
| Ilves | 4–8 | AZ | 4–3 | 0–5 |
| Zira | 2–3 | Hajduk Split | 1–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Arda | 2–2 (4–3 p) | HJK | 0–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Aktobe | 2–5 | Sparta Prague | 2–1 | 0–4 |
| Astana | 3–1[a] | Zimbru Chișinău | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Dečić | 2–6 | Rapid Wien | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino | 1–4 | Maccabi Haifa | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Araz-Naxçıvan | 4–3 | Aris | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Omonia | 5–0 | Torpedo Kutaisi | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Cherno More | 0–5 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Sutjeska | 3–7 | Beitar Jerusalem | 1–2 | 2–5 |
Matches
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 21 July 2025.
Seeding
A total of 60 teams played in the third qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 4 | Group 5 | ||||
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | ||
- Notes
- † Winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
- †† Losers of the Europa League second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
Summary
The first legs were played on 5 and 7 August, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 August 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 4–2 | Egnatia | 0–0 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Milsami Orhei | 3–5 | Virtus | 3–2 | 0–3 |
| Differdange 03 | 5–4 | FCI Levadia | 2–3 | 3–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Víkingur Gøta | 2–3 | Linfield | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Main Path | ||||
| Rapid Wien | 4–4 (5–4 p) | Dundee United | 2–2 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Sparta Prague | 6–2 | Ararat-Armenia | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| AZ | 4–0 | Vaduz | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Lugano | 4–7 | Celje | 0–5 | 4–2 |
| KÍ | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Neman Grodno | 2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Riga | 4–3 | Beitar Jerusalem | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Víkingur Reykjavík | 3–4 | Brøndby | 3–0 | 0–4 |
| Hajduk Split | 3–4 | Dinamo City | 2–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Anderlecht | 4–1 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Lausanne-Sport | 5–1 | Astana | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Larne | 0–3 | Santa Clara | 0–3 | 0–0 |
| Aris Limassol | 3–5 | AEK Athens | 2–2 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Viking | 2–4 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Araz-Naxçıvan | 0–9 | Omonia | 0–4 | 0–5 |
| Ballkani | 1–4 | Shamrock Rovers | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| Raków Częstochowa | 2–1 | Maccabi Haifa | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| AIK | 2–3 | Győri ETO | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Universitatea Craiova | 6–4 | Spartak Trnava | 3–0 | 3–4 (a.e.t.) |
| Polissya Zhytomyr | 4–2 | Paks | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Levski Sofia | 3–0 | Sabah | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Silkeborg | 2–3 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 0–1 | 2–2 |
| Partizan | 3–4 | Hibernian | 0–2 | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Baník Ostrava | 5–4 | Austria Wien | 4–3 | 1–1 |
| Rosenborg | 1–0 | Hammarby IF | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 3–7 | Beşiktaş | 1–4 | 2–3 |
| Kauno Žalgiris | 0–3 | Arda | 0–1 | 0–2 |
Matches
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2025.
Seeding
A total of 48 teams played in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie was the home team for the first leg.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | Group 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Group 3 | Group 4 | ||
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
- Notes
- † Losers of the Europa League third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
- †† Winners of the third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
Summary
The first legs were played on 21 August, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 August 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Hamrun Spartans | 3–2 | RFS | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Shelbourne | 5–1 | Linfield | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Breiðablik | 5–2 | Virtus | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Drita | 3–1 | Differdange 03 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 3–7 | Noah | 1–4 | 2–3 |
| Main Path | ||||
| Strasbourg | 3–2 | Brøndby | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 4–1 | Dinamo City | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3–2 | Servette | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Anderlecht | 1–3 | AEK Athens | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2–5 | Universitatea Craiova | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Crystal Palace | 1–0 | Fredrikstad | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Celje | 3–0 | Baník Ostrava | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Raków Częstochowa | 3–1 | Arda | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Hibernian | 4–5 | Legia Warsaw | 1–2 | 3–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Levski Sofia | 1–6 | AZ | 0–2 | 1–4 |
| Polissya Zhytomyr | 2–6 | Fiorentina | 0–3 | 2–3 |
| Győri ETO | 2–3 | Rapid Wien | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Neman Grodno | 0–5 | Rayo Vallecano | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Lausanne-Sport | 2–1 | Beşiktaş | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Santa Clara | 1–2 | Shamrock Rovers | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Rosenborg | 3–5 | Mainz 05 | 2–1 | 1–4 |
| Sparta Prague | 2–1 | Riga | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| BK Häcken | 7–3 | CFR Cluj | 7–2 | 0–1 |
| Wolfsberger AC | 2–2 (4–5 p) | Omonia | 2–1 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
Matches
References
- ^ a b "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know". UEFA.com. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 24 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "UEFA Conference League second qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.