Champions League qualifying explained. Draws, clubs, way to access groups | UEFA Champions League

Six teams enter the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage through qualifying. Who is concerned, how does it work and when are the matches played? UEFA.com explains it all.

Upcoming dates and tours

Play-offs: August 16-17 and 23-24

Barrages

Teams concerned (12)
Path of Champions (8):
2 qualified, 6 third qualifying round winners
League Path (4): 4 third qualifying round winners

Ibrahim Sangaré scored for PSV Eindhoven in the first leg against RangersGetty Images

Draw
The draw was made on Tuesday August 2.

Matches
August 16-17 and 23-24.

way of champions
Karabakh (AZE) – Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) – 0-0
Bodø/Glimt (NOR) – Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) – 1-0
Maccabi Haifa (ISR) – Red Star (SRB) – 3-2
Copenhagen (DEN) – Trabzonspor (TUR) –2-1

league path
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) – Benfica (POR) – 0-2
Rangers (SCO) – PSV Eindhoven (NED) –2-2

How it works ?
The teams play each other in home and away match-ups, with the winners advancing to the group draw on Thursday 25 August. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes, extra time and penalty kicks are played. The away goals rule has been abolished.

All defeated teams advance to the UEFA Europa League group stage (draw 26 August).

Qualifying rounds completed

Copenhagen reached the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League last season

Copenhagen reached the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League last seasonGetty Images

Preliminary round

Teams concerned (4)
4 automatically qualified

Draw
It was performed on Tuesday, June 7.

Matches (June 21)
Levadia Tallinn (EST) 1-2 Vikingur Reykjavík (ISL)
La Fiorita (SMR) 1-6 Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND)

June 24
Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND) 0-1 Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL)

How it works ?
The winners of the two semi-finals met in the preliminary round final on Friday 24 June; all confrontations were played on a match. The winners of the preliminary round final qualified for the first qualifying round.

The other three teams from the preliminary round were transferred in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path.

First qualifying round

Affected teams (30)
29 automatically qualified
1 preliminary round winner

Shamrock Rovers celebrate victory over Hibernians

Shamrock Rovers celebrate victory over HiberniansSPORTSFILE

Draw
The first qualifying round draw was made on Tuesday, June 14.

Matches
Sutjeska Nikšić 0-1 Ludogorets Razgrad (up to. 0-3)
Víkingur Reykjavík 3-3 Malmö (up to 5-6)
Žalgiris 1-0 ap Balkani (up to 2-1)
Hibernians 0-0 Shamrock Rovers (up to. 0-3)
Karabakh 5-1 Lech Poznań (to. 5-2)
Lincoln Red Imps 2-0 Skopje (up to 2-3)
RFS 2-1 a.p. HJK (agg 2-2, HJK won 5-4 on pens)
Tirana 1-2 Diddeleng (up to 1-3)
Sheriff 1-0 Zrinjski (up to 1-0)

Return: Wednesday July 13
CFR Cluj – Pyunik (all. 0-0, 4-3 and b)
Linfield – The New Saints (up to 2-1)
Ferencváros 5-1 Tobol (up to 5-1)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 0-2 Maribor (up to. 0-2)
Dinamo Batumi 1-2 (ap) Slovan Bratislava (1-2)
KÍ 0-3 Bodø/Glimt (up to. 3-4)

How it works ?
The teams played each other in home-and-away matchups, with the winners progressing to the second qualifying round to see champions. If the teams were tied after 180 minutes, extra time and penalty shootouts were played. The away goals rule has been abolished.

Defeated teams advanced to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path.

Second qualifying round

Teams concerned (24)
Path of Champions (20): 5 qualified automatically, 15 winners of the first qualifying round
League Way (4): 4 automatically qualified

Dynamo Kyiv eliminated Fenerbahçe in the second qualifying round

Dynamo Kyiv eliminated Fenerbahçe in the second qualifying roundGetty Images

Draw
The second qualifying round draw was made on Wednesday 15 June.

Matches (July 19-20 and 26-27)
Champions path, first leg scores

Ferencváros (HUN) 5-3 Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 3-2 Shkupi (MKD)
Karabakh (AZE) 5-4 Zurich (SUI)
HJK (FIN) 1-7 Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
Linfield (NIR) 1-8 Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
Žalgiris (LTU) 3-0 Malmö (SWE)
Ludogorets (BUL) 4-2 Shamrock Rovers (IRL)
Maribor (SVN) 0-1 Sheriff (MDA)
Maccabi Haifa (ISR) 5-1 Olympiacos (GRE)
Pyunik (ARM) 4-2 Diddeleng (LUX)

League Way
Midtjylland (DEN) 2-2 AEK Larnaca (CYP), ap (Midtjylland won 4-3 on pens)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 2-1 Fenerbahce (TUR)

How it works ?
The teams played each other in home and away confrontations, with the winners advancing on their way to the third qualifying round. If the teams were tied after 180 minutes, extra time and penalty shootouts were played. The away goals rule has been abolished.

The defeated teams advance to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

Third qualifying round

Teams concerned (20)
Champions path (12): 2 qualified automatically, 10 winners of the second qualifying round
League Way (8) : 6 automatically qualified, 2 winner of the second qualifying round

PSV Eindhoven eliminated Monaco in the third qualifying round

PSV Eindhoven eliminated Monaco in the third qualifying roundANP/AFP via Getty Images

Draw
The draw was made on July 18.

Matches
August 2-3 and 9.
way of champions
Maccabi Haifa (ISR) 4-2 Apollon Limassol (CYP) – 4-0, 2-0
Karabakh (AZE) 4-2 Ferencváros (HUN) – 1-1, 1-3
Ludogorets (BUL) 3-6 Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) – 1-2, 4-2
Sheriff (MDA) 2-4 Victoria Pilsen (CZE) – 1-2, 2-1
Bodø/Glimt (NOR) 6-1 Zalgiris (LTU) – 5-0, 1-1
Red Star (SRB) 7-0 Pyunik (ARM) – 5-0, 0-2

league path
Monaco (FRA) 3-4 PSV Eindhoven (NED) – 1-1, 3-2 a.p.
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 3-1 Sturm Graz (AUT) – 1-0, 1-2 a.p.
Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) 2-3 Rangers (SCO) – 2-0, 3-0
Benfica ( POR) 7-2 Central Jutland (DEN) – 4-1, 1-3

How it works ?
The teams play each other in home and away match-ups, with the winners advancing to the play-offs in their lane. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes, extra time and penalty kicks are played. The away goals rule has been abolished.

Teams defeated in the Champions Path move forward into the UEFA Europa League play-offs; winners of the champions path are transferred to the group stage of the Europa League.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.