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Qualifying schedule
The Champions League for 2024 -2025 has reached the third Qualifying Round stage. The first-leg matches will be held on August 6th and 7th, and the reverse fixtures will take place on August 13th.
The winners of the ten ties will progress to the play-off round, moving one step closer to playing in the main competition itself, and glamour matches against some of the biggest teams in world football.
The losers will get a second bite of the cherry in European football. Those on the Champions Path will transfer to the Europa League play-off round, while those in the League Path will move into the Europa League phase.
Qualifying teams
Originally, 52 teams were involved in Champions League qualifying, 42 of which were allocated to the Champions Path and 10 to the League Path.
The Champions’ path is reserved for winners of domestic leagues whose UEFA coefficient is not high enough for them to earn direct entry into the competition. The League path is reserved for teams that either finished runners-up or were third—or fourth-place finishers in their domestic leagues.
From the outset of the competition, teams have been seeded according to their UEFA coefficient, which is based on their performance in European competitions over the past five years.
That means that teams with some European pedigree, like Galatasaray of Turkey or the Serbian side Red Star Belgrade (previous winners in its European Cup days), are not involved until the play-off round of the tournament.
Others will make their debut this year in the third Qualifying Round. They include Rangers, runners-up in Scotland to Celtic, Lille, who finished fourth in Ligue 1, and regular European participants Red Bull Salzburg and Slavia Pague.
The earlier rounds
While most of Europe was still watching the knockout stages of Euro 2024, the competition got underway with the First Qualifying Round.
Many of the minnows were eliminated at that stage, and those that survived did not make it through the Second Qualifying round, which concluded last week.
Whilst there will be those who question why some of these teams bother entering the competition, it should be noted that prize money is still available for those who qualify for the tournament. For small clubs with minimal budgets, it can still make a difference to their finances. In addition, there is a cachet attached to playing in the same tournament as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester City.
Seeding for the third play-off round was again based on UEFA coefficients.
Major ties
Arguably, the teams in the League path offer the most intriguing Third Qualifying Round ties, not least because one of them is managed by a man who has won the competition twice before and also won league titles in four countries.
Lille v Fenerbahçe
Turkish side Fenerbahçe offered José Mourinho a route back into management months after he was sacked by Roma in February this year. The so-called “Special One” won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan, and although he is not used to entering the competition at such an early stage, he has shown that he has not lost his flair for controversy.
After they beat the Swiss side Lugano away in the previous round, he heavily criticized the hosts for their reliance on a plastic pitch.
Mourinho’s main job is to recapture the Turkish League title—they finished three points short of Istanbul rivals Galatasaray last season despite losing just one league game. With Galatasaray entering the play-off round, a victory will double Turkey’s chances of having at least one participant in the main draw.
Lille is a tricky opponent, although they only finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season.
They have appeared in the Champions League a number of times before, with their best result coming in 2006 – 2007, when they reached the round of 16, only to lose to a Chelsea side managed by Mourinho at the time. Last season, they got to the quarter-finals of the Conference League, only losing to Aston Villa in the end after a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
The French side plays the first leg at home and knows that they are likely to face a hostile atmosphere in the return leg. Therefore, it is essential that they have a lead to defend when they travel.
Dynamo Kyiv v Rangers
The most successful club in Ukrainian history, Dynamo Kyiv, has the disadvantage of being unable to play its home fixtures in Ukraine because of the armed conflict affecting the country. Instead, the first leg of their tie will take place in Lublin, Poland.
Not that proved a problem for them in the Second Qualifying round, as they powered past the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, winning a 9 – 2 aggregate score, 6 – 2 at home, and then scoring three unanswered goals in the return leg.
Rangers, too, will not have their usual home ground available. The Ibrox Stadium is being renovated, so Hampden Park will stage their home games until the end of September.
In 1992, Rangers became the first Scottish side to appear in the Champions League, but they have never advanced beyond the group stage.
However, they did win the old European Cup Winners Cup back in 1972, and they have twice been beaten finalists in the Europa League, most recently two years ago when they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.
Traditionally, Scottish teams are not good travelers, so manager Philippe Clement will want to keep it tight in the first leg in Poland so that his team can then attack in front of their home fans in the second leg.
Red Bull Salzburg v Twente
Since SV Austria Salzburg was bought and renamed by the Red Bull energy drink and sporting company in 2005, they have dominated Austrian football and have won 14 out of the last 17 titles.
Last season was no different as they finished four points clear of second place Sturm Graz.
They have regularly featured in the group stages of the Champions League, and two years ago, they reached the round of 16 before Bayern Munich finally knocked them out.
Many players who have gone on to enjoy great success elsewhere have had a spell at Salzburg, including Erling Haaland, Sadio Mané, and current first-choice French center-back Dayot Upamecano.
By contrast, FC Twente only returned to Europe last season when they qualified for the Conference League's play-off stages.
The Dutch side has endured a turbulent recent history. Although they won the Eredivisie in 2010, they were subsequently dogged by financial problems off the pitch. They were relegated and docked points after allegations of financial mismanagement.
The tragedy also struck when two people were killed when part of their stadium roof collapsed during renovation work.
Although they eventually gained promotion again, the club continued to make headlines for the wrong reasons. Managers came and went, whilst one player had his contract terminated after being found guilty of domestic violence. He then died of a cardiac arrest after other family members beat him.
However, a third-place finish last season meant that they qualified for this competition, benefitting in part from Ajax’s poor domestic form.
The Austrian team will start as the clear favorites, but Twente can enjoy the experience and will not be under any pressure.
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