2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round

The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round began on 21 June and ended on 24 August 2022.[1]

A total of 52 teams competed in the qualifying system of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, which included the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 42 teams in Champions Path and 10 teams in League Path. The six winners in the play-off round (four from Champions Path, two from League Path) advanced to the group stage, to join the 26 teams that enter in the group stage.[2]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Teams[edit]

Champions Path[edit]

The Champions Path included all league champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage, and consisted of the following rounds:

  • Preliminary round (4 teams playing one-legged semi-finals and final): 4 teams which entered in this round.
  • First qualifying round (30 teams): 29 teams which entered in this round, and 1 winner of the preliminary round.
  • Second qualifying round (20 teams): 5 teams which entered in this round, and 15 winners of the first qualifying round.
  • Third qualifying round (12 teams): 2 teams which entered in this round, and 10 winners of the second qualifying round.
  • Play-off round (8 teams): 2 teams which entered in this round, and 6 winners of the third qualifying round.

All teams eliminated from the Champions Path entered either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League:

Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2022 UEFA club coefficients),[3] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to group stage
Losers of play-off round entered Europa League group stage
Losers of third qualifying round entered Europa League play-off round
Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round
Drawn losers of the first qualifying round entered Europa Conference League third qualifying round
Losers of the preliminary round and first qualifying round entered Europa Conference League second qualifying round
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[3]
Denmark Copenhagen 40.500
Turkey Trabzonspor 5.500
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Serbia Red Star Belgrade 46.000
Cyprus Apollon Limassol 14.000
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 49.500
Greece Olympiacos 41.000
Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 31.000
Israel Maccabi Haifa 7.000
Switzerland Zürich 7.000
First qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Azerbaijan Qarabağ 25.000
Sweden Malmö FF 23.500
Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 23.000
Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 22.500
Romania CFR Cluj 19.500
Norway Bodø/Glimt 17.000
Hungary Ferencváros 15.500
Slovenia Maribor 14.000
Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 13.000
Finland HJK 8.500
Wales The New Saints 8.500
Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 8.500
Lithuania Žalgiris 8.000
Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 7.250
Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 7.000
Northern Ireland Linfield 7.000
Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski 7.000
Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 6.250
Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 6.250
Faroe Islands KÍ Klaksvík 6.250
Poland Lech Poznań 6.000
Malta Hibernians 5.500
Kazakhstan Tobol 4.500
North Macedonia Shkupi 4.500
Armenia Pyunik 4.250
Latvia RFS 4.000
Georgia (country) Dinamo Batumi 3.250
Albania Tirana 2.750
Kosovo Ballkani 1.633
Preliminary round
Team Coeff.[3]
Estonia FCI Levadia 4.750
San Marino La Fiorita 4.000
Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes 3.000
Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík 1.075

League Path[edit]

The League Path included all league non-champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage, and consisted of the following rounds:[Note]

  • Second qualifying round (4 teams): 4 teams which entered in this round.
  • Third qualifying round (8 teams): 6 teams which entered in this round, and 2 winners of the second qualifying round.
  • Play-off round (4 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round.

All teams eliminated from the League Path entered the Europa League:

Below are the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2022 UEFA club coefficients),[3] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to group stage
Losers of play-off round entered Europa League group stage
Losers of third qualifying round entered Europa League group stage
Losers of second qualifying round entered Europa League third qualifying round
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Portugal Benfica 61.000
Scotland Rangers 50.250
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 33.000
France Monaco 26.000
Austria Sturm Graz 7.770
Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise 6.120
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 44.000
Denmark Midtjylland 19.000
Turkey Fenerbahçe 14.500
Cyprus AEK Larnaca 7.500

Format[edit]

Each tie, apart from the preliminary round, 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 were scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out.[4]

In the preliminary round, the semi-finals and final were played as a single match hosted by one of the participating teams. If the score was level at the end of normal time, extra time was played, and if the same number of goals were scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out.

The 2022–23 season saw the video assistant referee (VAR) used for the first time during the qualification phase following its introduction in the third qualifying round.[5]

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 (or the administrative "home" team in the preliminary round matches) in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round was not 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 this round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA formed "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they were purely for convenience of the draw and did not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA should 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[edit]

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[1]

Schedule for the qualifying phase of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary round 7 June 2022 21 June 2022 (semi-finals) 24 June 2022 (final)
First qualifying round 14 June 2022 5–6 July 2022 12–13 July 2022
Second qualifying round 15 June 2022 19–20 July 2022 26–27 July 2022
Third qualifying round 18 July 2022 2–3 August 2022 9 August 2022
Play-offs 2 August 2022 16–17 August 2022 23–24 August 2022

Preliminary round[edit]

The preliminary round consisted of two semi-finals on 21 June 2022 and the final on 24 June 2022. The draw for the preliminary round was held on 7 June 2022.

Seeding[edit]

A total of four teams played in the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients,[3] with two seeded teams and two unseeded teams in the semi-finals. The matches took place at Víkingsvöllur in Reykjavík, Iceland so the first team drawn in each tie in the semi-finals, and also the final (between the two winners of the semi-finals, whose identity was not known at the time of draw), would be the "home" team for administrative purposes.

Seeded Unseeded

Bracket[edit]

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
21 June – Reykjavík
 
 
San Marino La Fiorita1
 
24 June – Reykjavík
 
Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes2
 
Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes0
 
21 June – Reykjavík
 
Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík1
 
Estonia FCI Levadia1
 
 
Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík6
 

Summary[edit]

The preliminary round matches consisted of two semi-finals on 21 June 2022 and the final on 24 June 2022.

The winner of the preliminary round final advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-finals and final were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
FCI Levadia Estonia 1–6 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík
La Fiorita San Marino 1–2 Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Final
Inter Club d'Escaldes Andorra 0–1 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík

Semi-finals[edit]

FCI Levadia Estonia1–6Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík
[7]

La Fiorita San Marino1–2Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes
[9]

Final[edit]

Inter Club d'Escaldes Andorra0–1Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík
[11]

First qualifying round[edit]

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 14 June 2022.[12]

Seeding[edit]

A total of 30 teams played in the first qualifying round: 29 teams which enter in this round, and 1 winner of the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winner of the preliminary round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed three groups of five seeded teams and five unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winner of the preliminary 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[edit]

The first legs were played on 5 and 6 July, and the second legs were played on 12 and 13 July 2022.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Pyunik Armenia 2–2 (4–3 p) Romania CFR Cluj 0–0 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Maribor Slovenia 2–0[A] Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 0–0 2–0
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 3–0 Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 2–0 1–0
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg 3–1 Albania Tirana 1–0 2–1
Tobol Kazakhstan 1–5 Hungary Ferencváros 0–0 1–5
Malmö FF Sweden 6–5 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík 3–2 3–3
Ballkani Kosovo 1–2 Lithuania Žalgiris 1–1 0–1 (a.e.t.)
HJK Finland 2–2 (5–4 p)[A] Latvia RFS 1–0 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Bodø/Glimt Norway 4–3 Faroe Islands KÍ Klaksvík 3–0 1–3
The New Saints Wales 1–2 Northern Ireland Linfield 1–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)
Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland 3–0 Malta Hibernians 3–0 0–0
Lech Poznań Poland 2–5 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 1–0 1–5
Shkupi North Macedonia 3–2 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 3–0 0–2
Zrinjski Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–1 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 0–0 0–1
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 2–1 Georgia (country) Dinamo Batumi 0–0 2–1 (a.e.t.)

Notes

  1. ^ a b Losers drawn to receive a bye to the Europa Conference League third qualifying round.

Matches[edit]

Pyunik Armenia0–0Romania CFR Cluj
[14]
CFR Cluj Romania2–2 (a.e.t.)Armenia Pyunik
[16]
Penalties
3–4

2–2 on aggregate. Pyunik won 4–3 on penalties.


Maribor Slovenia0–0Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk
[18]
Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus0–2Slovenia Maribor
[21]

Maribor won 2–0 on aggregate.


Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria2–0Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić
[23]
Sutjeska Nikšić Montenegro0–1Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
[25]

Ludogorets Razgrad won 3–0 on aggregate.


F91 Dudelange Luxembourg1–0Albania Tirana
[27]
Tirana Albania1–2Luxembourg F91 Dudelange
[29]

F91 Dudelange won 3–1 on aggregate.


Tobol Kazakhstan0–0Hungary Ferencváros
[31]
Attendance: 8,420[30]
Referee: Dario Bel (Croatia)
Ferencváros Hungary5–1Kazakhstan Tobol
[33]

Ferencváros won 5–1 on aggregate.


Malmö FF Sweden3–2Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík
[35]
Attendance: 11,830[34]
Víkingur Reykjavík Iceland3–3Sweden Malmö FF
[37]

Malmö FF won 6–5 on aggregate.


Ballkani Kosovo1–1Lithuania Žalgiris
[39]
Žalgiris Lithuania1–0 (a.e.t.)Kosovo Ballkani
[41]
Attendance: 3,542[40]
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)

Žalgiris won 2–1 on aggregate.


HJK Finland1–0Latvia RFS
[43]
Attendance: 3,874[42]
RFS Latvia2–1 (a.e.t.)Finland HJK
[45]
Penalties
4–5

2–2 on aggregate. HJK won 5–4 on penalties.


Bodø/Glimt Norway3–0Faroe Islands KÍ Klaksvík
[47]
KÍ Klaksvík Faroe Islands3–1Norway Bodø/Glimt
[50]

Bodø/Glimt won 4–3 on aggregate.


The New Saints Wales1–0Northern Ireland Linfield
[52]
Attendance: 1,034[51]
Linfield Northern Ireland2–0 (a.e.t.)Wales The New Saints
[54]
Attendance: 2,971[53]

Linfield won 2–1 on aggregate.


Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland3–0Malta Hibernians
[56]
Attendance: 7,019[55]
Hibernians Malta0–0Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers
[58]

Shamrock Rovers won 3–0 on aggregate.


Lech Poznań Poland1–0Azerbaijan Qarabağ
[60]
Qarabağ Azerbaijan5–1Poland Lech Poznań
[62]

Qarabağ won 5–2 on aggregate.


Shkupi North Macedonia3–0Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps
[64]
Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar2–0North Macedonia Shkupi
[66]

Shkupi won 3–2 on aggregate.


Zrinjski Bosnia and Herzegovina0–0Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
[68]
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova1–0Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski
[70]

Sheriff Tiraspol won 1–0 on aggregate.


Slovan Bratislava Slovakia0–0Georgia (country) Dinamo Batumi
[72]
Attendance: 10,589[71]
Referee: David Coote (England)
Dinamo Batumi Georgia (country)1–2 (a.e.t.)Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
[74]
Attendance: 20,022[73]

Slovan Bratislava won 2–1 on aggregate.

Second qualifying round[edit]

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 15 June 2022.[75]

Seeding[edit]

A total of 24 teams played in the second qualifying round. They were divided into two paths:

  • Champions Path (20 teams): 5 teams which enter in this round, and 15 winners of the first qualifying round.
  • League Path (4 teams): 4 teams which enter in this round.

Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed three groups for the champions path draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee: two groups that produce three ties each (Groups 1 and 2) and one with four ties (Group 3). The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winner 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.
League Path
Seeded Unseeded

Summary[edit]

The first legs were played on 19 and 20 July, and the second legs were played on 26 and 27 July 2022.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Ferencváros Hungary 5–3 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 1–2 4–1
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 3–2 North Macedonia Shkupi 2–2 1–0
Qarabağ Azerbaijan 5–4 Switzerland Zürich 3–2 2–2 (a.e.t.)
HJK Finland 1–7 Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 1–2 0–5
Linfield Northern Ireland 1–8 Norway Bodø/Glimt 1–0 0–8
Žalgiris Lithuania 3–0 Sweden Malmö FF 1–0 2–0
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 4–2 Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 3–0 1–2
Maribor Slovenia 0–1 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 0–0 0–1
Maccabi Haifa Israel 5–1 Greece Olympiacos 1–1 4–0
Pyunik Armenia 4–2 Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 0–1 4–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Midtjylland Denmark 2–2 (4–3 p) Cyprus AEK Larnaca 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine 2–1 Turkey Fenerbahçe 0–0 2–1 (a.e.t.)

Champions Path[edit]

Ferencváros Hungary1–2Slovakia Slovan Bratislava
[77]
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia1–4Hungary Ferencváros
[79]
Attendance: 21,500[78]

Ferencváros won 5–3 on aggregate.


Dinamo Zagreb Croatia2–2North Macedonia Shkupi
[81]
Attendance: 7,912[80]
Shkupi North Macedonia0–1Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
[83]

Dinamo Zagreb won 3–2 on aggregate.


Qarabağ Azerbaijan3–2Switzerland Zürich
[85]
Zürich Switzerland2–2 (a.e.t.)Azerbaijan Qarabağ
[87]
Attendance: 10,237[86]

Qarabağ won 5–4 on aggregate.


HJK Finland1–2Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň
[89]
Viktoria Plzeň Czech Republic5–0Finland HJK
[91]

Viktoria Plzeň won 7–1 on aggregate.


Linfield Northern Ireland1–0Norway Bodø/Glimt
[93]
Attendance: 3,168[92]
Bodø/Glimt Norway8–0Northern Ireland Linfield
[95]
Attendance: 5,110[94]

Bodø/Glimt won 8–1 on aggregate.


Žalgiris Lithuania1–0Sweden Malmö FF
[97]
Attendance: 4,918[96]
Malmö FF Sweden0–2Lithuania Žalgiris
[99]
Attendance: 17,234[98]

Žalgiris won 3–0 on aggregate.


Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria3–0Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers
[101]
Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland2–1Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
[103]
Attendance: 6,322[102]
Referee: Fabio Maresca (Italy)

Ludogorets Razgrad won 4–2 on aggregate.


Maribor Slovenia0–0Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
[105]
Attendance: 7,150[104]
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova1–0Slovenia Maribor
[107]

Sheriff Tiraspol won 1–0 on aggregate.


Maccabi Haifa Israel1–1Greece Olympiacos
[109]
Olympiacos Greece0–4Israel Maccabi Haifa
[111]

Maccabi Haifa won 5–1 on aggregate.


Pyunik Armenia0–1Luxembourg F91 Dudelange
[113]
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg1–4Armenia Pyunik
[115]

Pyunik won 4–2 on aggregate.

League Path[edit]

Midtjylland Denmark1–1Cyprus AEK Larnaca
[117]
Attendance: 7,008[116]
AEK Larnaca Cyprus1–1 (a.e.t.)Denmark Midtjylland
[119]
Penalties
3–4

2–2 on aggregate. Midtjylland won 4–3 on penalties.


Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine0–0Turkey Fenerbahçe
[122]
Fenerbahçe Turkey1–2 (a.e.t.)Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv
[124]

Dynamo Kyiv won 2–1 on aggregate.

Third qualifying round[edit]

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 18 July 2022.[125]

Seeding[edit]

A total of 20 teams played in the third qualifying round. They were divided into two paths:

  • Champions Path (12 teams): 2 teams which enter in this round, and 10 winners of the second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • League Path (8 teams): 6 teams which enter in this round, and 2 winners of the second qualifying round (League Path).

Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed two groups of three seeded teams and three unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[126] The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
League Path
Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winner 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.

Summary[edit]

The first legs were played on 2 and 3 August, and the second legs were played on 9 August 2022.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Maccabi Haifa Israel 4–2 Cyprus Apollon Limassol 4–0 0–2
Qarabağ Azerbaijan 4–2 Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 3–1
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 3–6 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1–2 2–4
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 2–4 Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 1–2 1–2
Bodø/Glimt Norway 6–1 Lithuania Žalgiris 5–0 1–1
Red Star Belgrade Serbia 7–0 Armenia Pyunik 5–0 2–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Monaco France 3–4 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1–1 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine 3–1 Austria Sturm Graz 1–0 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium 2–3 Scotland Rangers 2–0 0–3
Benfica Portugal 7–2 Denmark Midtjylland 4–1 3–1

Champions Path[edit]

Maccabi Haifa Israel4–0Cyprus Apollon Limassol
[128]
Apollon Limassol Cyprus2–0Israel Maccabi Haifa
[130]

Maccabi Haifa won 4–2 on aggregate.


Qarabağ Azerbaijan1–1Hungary Ferencváros
[132]
Ferencváros Hungary1–3Azerbaijan Qarabağ
[134]

Qarabağ won 4–2 on aggregate.


Ludogorets Razgrad