Six teams will qualify for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage via qualifying – who’s involved, how does it work and when are the games? Allow UEFA.com to explain.
Champions League qualifying fixtures
Preliminary round semi-finals: 21 June 2022
Preliminary final round: 24 June
First qualifying round: 5/6 & 12/13 July
Second qualifying round: 19/20 & 26/27 July
Third qualifying round: 2/3 & 9 August
Play-offs: 16/17 & 23/24 August
First qualifying round
Teams involved (30)
29 automatic entrants
1 preliminary round winner
Fixtures
Second legs: Tuesday 12 July
Sutjeska Nikšić vs Ludogorets Razgrad (0-2)
Vikingur Reykjavík vs Malmö (2-3)
Žalgiris vs Balkani (1-1)
Hibernians vs Shamrock Rovers (0-3)
Qarabağ vs Lech Poznań (0-1)
Lincoln Red Imps vs Skopje (0-3)
RFS vs HJK (0-1)
KÍ vs Bodø/Glimt (0-3)
Tirana vs Diddeleng (0-1)
Sheriff vs Zrinjski (0-0)
Second legs: Wednesday 13 July
CFR Cluj vs Pyunik (0-0)
Linfield vs The New Saints (0-1)
Ferencváros vs Tobol (0-0)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs Maribor (0-0)
Dinamo Batumi vs Slovan Bratislava (0-0)
How does it work?
Teams play home and away with the aggregate winners progressing to the second qualifying round champions path; if teams are level after 180 minutes, extra time and penalties will be played. There are no away goals.
Defeated teams transfer to the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path second qualifying round.
Second qualifying round
Teams involved (24)
Champions Path (20): 5 automatic entrants, 15 first qualifying round winners
league path (4): 4 automatic entrants
Draw
The second qualifying round draw was made on Wednesday June 15.
Fixtures (19/20 & 26/27 July)
Champions path
Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) / Ferencváros (HUN) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / Dinamo Batumi (GEO)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs Skopje (MKD) / Lincoln Red Imps (GIB)
Lech Poznań (POL) / Qarabağ (AZE) vs Zürich (SUI)
HJK (FIN) / RFS (LVA) vs Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
The New Saints (WAL) / Linfield (NIR) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / KÍ (FRO)
Balkani (KOS) / Žalgiris (LTU) vs Malmö (SWE) / Preliminary round winners
Ludogorets (BUL) / Sutjeska (MNE) vs Shamrock Rovers (IRL) / Hibernians (MLT)
Maribor (SVN) / Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR) vs Zrinjski (BIH) / Sheriff (MDA)
Maccabi Haifa (ISR) vs Olympiacos (GRE)
Pyunik (ARM) / CFR Cluj (ROU) vs Diddeleng (LUX) / Tirana (ALB)
League path
Midtjylland (DEN) vs AEK Larnaca (CYP)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) vs Fenerbahçe (TUR)
How does it work?
Teams play home and away with the aggregate winners progressing to their respective path of the third qualifying round; if teams are level after 180 minutes, extra time and penalties will be played. There are no away goals.
Defeated teams transfer to the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
Third qualifying round
Teams involved (20)
Champions Path (12): 2 automatic entrants, 10 second qualifying round winners
Apollon Limassol (CYP)
Crvena zvezda (SRB)
league path (8): 6 automatic entrants, 2 second qualifying round winners
Benfica (POR)
Monaco (FRA)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Rangers (SCO)
Sturm Graz (AUT)
Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
Draw
To be made on Monday 18 July.
Fixtures
To be confirmed; to be played on 2/3 and 9 August.
How does it work?
Teams play home and away with the aggregate winners progressing to their respective path of the play-offs; if teams are level after 180 minutes, extra time and penalties will be played. There are no away goals.
Defeated teams in the champions path transfer to the UEFA Europa League play-off round; league path losers will line up in the Europa League group stage.
Play-offs
Teams involved (12)
Champions Path (8): 2 automatic entrants, 6 third qualifying round winners
Copenhagen
Trabzonspor
Domestic path (4): 4 third qualifying round winners
Draw
To be made on Tuesday August 2.
Fixtures
To be confirmed; to be played on 16/17 & 23/24 August.
How does it work?
Teams play home and away with the aggregate winners progressing to the group stage draw on Thursday August 25. If the teams are level after 180 minutes, extra time and penalties will be played. There are no away goals.
All losing sides move into the UEFA Europa League group stage (draw on August 26).
Preliminary round
Teams involved (4)
4 automatic entrants
Results
June 21
La Fiorita (SMR) 1-2 Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND)
Levadia Tallinn (EST) 1-6 Vikingur Reykjavík (ISL)
June 24
Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND) 0-1 Vikingur Reykjavík (ISL)
How did it work?
The winners of the two semi-finals met in the preliminary round final on Friday 24 June; all games were single-leg fixtures. As winners of the final preliminary round, Víkingur Reykjavík progressed to the first qualifying round.
The other three preliminary round teams transferred to the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path second qualifying round.
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