UEFA Champions League Qualifying Rounds: Preview and Betting Odds

The UEFA Champions League is the premier club competition in European football. Before the League begins, dozens of teams must play their way through the qualifying rounds for a spot in the final 36.

These qualifying rounds take place annually across Europe between July and August. Most matches often go under the radar as some clubs are relatively small. However, if you are a bettor, the matches give a good insight into rising stars and underdog teams.

Below, we break down the qualification format, highlight key fixtures, teams to watch, and explore the betting markets worth your attention.

Format of the Qualification

The 2025-26 campaign will be the 71st edition of this club competition – the 34th since it was rebranded from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League, and the second under the new format.

The qualifiers kick off on 8th July 2025, and the tournament will go on until the final match in Budapest on 30th May 2026.

Which Teams are Participating?

The Champions League is a 36-team format. Clubs enter the tournament at various stages depending on their seeding.

A total of 82 teams are participating for a spot in the final 36. 29 have already gained a direct entry into the League phase. The remaining 53 teams will play in the qualifying rounds to fill up the extra 7 spots. 

These are the teams participating in the 2025-26 season:

28 Teams Entering the First Qualifying Round

1. Breiðablik (Iceland)
2. FK Budućnost Podgorica (Montenegro)
3. Differdange (Luxembourg)
4. FC Dinamo-Minsk (Belarus)
5. FC Drita (Kosovo)
6. KF Egnatia (Albania)
7. Fotbal Club FCSB (Romania)
8. Hamrun Spartans (Malta)
9. Iberia (Georgia)
10. Inter Club d’Escaldes (Andorra)
11. Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan)
12. KuPS Kuopio (Finland)
13. Lincoln Red Imps FC (Gibraltar)
14. Levadia Tallinn (Estonia)
15. Linfield (Northern Ireland)
16. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
17. Malmö FF (Sweden)
18. FC Milsami Orhei (Moldova)
19. FC Noah (Armenia)
20. NK Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
21. FC RFS (Latvia)
22. Shelbourne FC (Ireland)
23. KF Shkëndija (North Macedonia)
24. The New Saints (Wales)
25. Víkingur (Faroe Islands)
26. Virtus (San Marino)
27. FK Žalgiris (Lithuania)
28. HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

16 Teams Entering the Second Qualifying Round

1. SK Brann (Norway)
2. F.C. Copenhagen (Denmark)
3. FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
4. FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
5. Ferencvárosi TC (Hungary)
6. KKS Lech Poznań (Poland)
7. Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (Israel)
8. Pafos FC (Cyprus)
9. Panathinaikos FC (Greece)
10. Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan)
11. Rangers FC (Scotland)
12. HNK Rijeka (Croatia)
13. ŠK Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
14. FC Salzburg (Austria)
15. Servette FC (Switzerland)
16. FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)

Five Teams Entering the Third Qualifying Round

1. Benfica (Portugal)
2. Club Brugge KV (Belgium)
3. Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey)
4. Feyenoord (Netherland)
5. OGC Nice (France)

Four Teams Entering the Play-Offs

1. FC Basel (Switzerland)
2. FK Bodø/Glimt (Norway)
3. Celtic FC (Scotland)
4. SK Sturm Graz (Austria)

29 Teams Entering the League Phase

1. AFC Ajax (Netherlands)
2. Arsenal FC (England)
3. Atalanta BC (Italy)
4. Athletic Club (Spain)
5. Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
6. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
7. FC Barcelona (Spain)
8. FC Bayern München (Germany)
9. Chelsea FC (England)
10. Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
11. Galatasaray A.Ş.(Turkey)
12. FC Internazionale Milano (Italy)
13. Juventus (Italy)
14. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
15. Liverpool FC (England)
16. Manchester City (England)
17. Olympique de Marseille (France)
18. AS Monaco (France)
19. SSC Napoli (Italy)
20. Newcastle United FC (England)
21. Olympiacos FC (Greece)
22. Paris Saint-Germain (France)
23. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
24. Real Madrid C.F. (Spain)
25. SK Slavia Praha (Czech Republic)
26. Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal)
27. Tottenham Hotspur (England)
28. R. Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium)
29. Villarreal CF (Spain)

What is the UEFA Champions League New Format?

The UEFA Champions League got a major overhaul in the 2024/25 season. The biggest change was the end of the traditional group stage format. Instead of 32 teams split into eight groups of four, the new format features 36 clubs in a single league phase.

Now, each team will play eight different opponents (4 at home and 4 away). That’s a change from the old system, where clubs faced just three teams in their group.

The 36 clubs are divided into four seeding pots (the highest seed is automatically given to last year’s winner). Each club will face teams from different pots to create more variety in fixtures. 

How Are the Teams Selected?

All 82 teams have qualified based on their domestic league standings and the UEFA country coefficient ranking.

UEFA ranks European clubs based on their last five-year performance. If several clubs from the same country perform well, that country gets to claim more spots in the UEFA tournaments. For example, top leagues like England, Spain, Germany, and Italy send 4 teams each, and mid-ranked countries like the Netherlands and Portugal get 1-2 spots. Additional spots are given to Europa League and Conference League winners.

How are the Teams Placed in Different Qualifying Rounds?

The higher a country’s UEFA ranking, the better entry they receive in the tournament. All 29 clubs that have gained direct entry belong to top-ranked countries.

The remaining clubs enter at different stages based on their rankings. Domestic champions of lower-ranked leagues start in the first and second qualifying rounds through the Champions Path. Teams finishing second or third (non-champions) from higher-ranked leagues enter in the second or third qualifying rounds. This is called the League Path. Teams from top countries finishing third or fourth in the league (like France and Germany) start in the third or play-off round.

Advancement in the League Phase

Winners of the first round will play the teams entering the second round. Winners from this round will enter the third phase and finally the play-offs. From here seven winners will advance to the league phase matches, where they face clubs that gained direct entry. 

League phase winners will enter the knockout phase that starts with the round of 16, and goes on to the quarterfinals, semis, and finals.

Key Dates and Schedule

Currently, only the first and second qualifying round dates are available. More match dates will be released as the third round starts. Note that exact dates may vary depending on the weather.

All match timings are mentioned in BST (British Summer Time).

First Qualifying Round (Leg 1 of 2)

First Qualifying Round (Leg 2 of 2)

Second Qualifying Round (Leg 1 of 2)

Second Qualifying Round (Leg 2 of 2)

Champions League: Qualifiers 2025-26

• First qualifying round: 8-9 and 15-16 July 2025
• Second qualifying round: 22-23 and 29-30 July 2025
• Third qualifying round: 5-6 and 12 August 2025
• Play-offs: 19-20 and 26-27 August 2025

Champions League: League Phase Matches 2025-26

• Matchday 1: 16-18 September 2025
• Matchday 2: 30 September to 1 October 2025
• Matchday 3: 21-22 October 2025
• Matchday 4: 4-5 November 2025
• Matchday 5: 25-26 November 2025
• Matchday 6: 9-10 December 2025
• Matchday 7: 20-21 January 2026
• Matchday 8: 28 January 2026

Champions League: Knockout Phase 2025-26

• Knockout phase play-offs: 17-18 and 24-25 February 2026
• Round of 16: 10-11 and 17-18 March 2026
• Quarter-finals: 7-8 and 14-15 April 2026
• Semi-finals: 28-29 April and 5-6 May 2026
• Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)

Notable Teams and Matchups

FK Žalgiris Vilnius (Lithuania)

FK Žalgiris is Lithuania’s most decorated club with 11 A Lyga titles and numerous domestic cups and Super Cups. They entered the UEFA competition after winning A Lyga in 2024.

Žalgiris have entered the qualifying rounds several times but have never made it to the League phase. However, they have strong players this time. Six Žalgiris players were named in the Team of the Year squad. Most notable among them is winger Liviu Antal, who scored 20 league goals and clinched the Golden Boot. Also, look out for goalkeeper Arpád Tordai, who has kept seven clean sheets in 20 matches.

Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan)

Qarabağ FK has been the undefeated champion in Azerbaijan’s Premyer Liqa since 2013-14. Along with their 11 League titles, they have also won the Azerbaijan Cup five times in the last 10 years.

Qarabağ reached the Europa League knockout playoff in 2023-24. They defeated Braga 6-5 on aggregate, becoming the first Azerbaijani club to make the round of 16 in any UEFA competition.

Standout players for the teams are forward Juninho, winger Nariman Akhundzade, and goalkeeper Shakhruddin Magomedaliyev.

Arsenal (England)

Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, finishing 2nd with 74 points. Last season, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the semifinals after a 1-3 aggregate loss to PSG. 

The standout player for the team is goalkeeper David Raya, who earned the Premier League Golden Glove for keeping 13 clean sheets. Midfielder Declan Rice received several awards in the 2024/25 season, including Arsenal’s Player of the Season, and Goal of the Season. He was also recognized by UEFA as the Champions League Player of the Week.

Barcelona (Spain)

Barcelona holds 28 La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, five UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups.

In 2024-25, they achieved a domestic hattrick after winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa. They reached the Champions League semi-finals but fell to Inter Milan after a thrilling 7-6 aggregate loss. 

Fans and bettors will have plenty of players to watch in this team. Striker Raphinha scored 34 goals (13 in Champions League) and provided 22 assists last season. He earned La Liga’s Best Player Award. More players to follow are strikers Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, and midfielder Pedri.

Chelsea (England)

Chelsea is the reigning champion of the Conference League and is currently in the semifinal round of the FIFA Club World Cup. It finished the Premier League in 4th position with 69 points.

Chelsea’s standout players are midfielder Cole Palmer, strikers Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto.

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Round Betting Odds

The Champions League qualifiers are underway, and there’s no shortage of familiar names. 53 clubs are playing for the remaining seven spots in the League.

Fans interested in the UEFA Champions League qualification betting will have plenty of promising teams to choose from. There are clubs like Bodø/Glimt (Norway), Benfica (Portugal), and Copenhagen (Denmark) that bring plenty of European experience, even if they’re not regulars in the league stage. Moreover, there are smaller teams like FC RFS (Latvia) and FK Žalgiris (Lithuania) that have strong domestic form.

However, bettors should be cautious as qualifying rounds are anything but predictable. Betting on early matches is all about spotting value. Research your favourite team’s domestic performance, especially last season. If the teams are relatively unknown, it’s wise to wait it out in the first leg. Once the second leg starts, the consistent performers will become clear.

Consider these popular betting markets for Champions League qualifiers:

• Outright: Predict who will win the Champions League 2025-26 season. For example, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, and PSG are highly decorated teams and can be expected to make it to the knockout rounds.
• 1X2 (match result): Bet on whether Team A or B will win a particular fixture or if the match will end in a draw.
• BTTS (both teams to score): Predict if both teams will net the ball in the opponent’s goal at least once during the match.
• Over/Under Goals: Predict if the game will see more or fewer goals than a set line, like 2.5.
• Handicap: If you think one team is stronger than the other, pick a handicap to add an advantage or disadvantage to the final score.
  

If you are a beginner, make sure to bet small. Place your bets only after researching your favourite team’s lineup, injuries, and form.

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