UEFA Champions League play-off round draw

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-off draw was held at 12:00 CET on Monday 5 August at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Fixtures will take place on 20/21 and 27/28 August.

2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-off draw

Champions Path

BSC Young Boys (SUI) vs Galatasaray A.Ş. (TUR)
GNK Dinamo (CRO) vs Qarabağ FK (AZE) / PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) / Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / APOEL FC (CYP)
Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) / FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR) vs FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)
Malmö FF (SWE) / PAOK FC (GRE) vs AC Sparta Praha (CZE) / Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)

League Path

LOSC Lille (FRA) / Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) vs SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / R. Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) / Rangers FC (SCO) vs FC Salzburg (AUT) / FC Twente (NED)

Seeded teams in bold.

DRAW PROCEDURE

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Champions League Regulations the following draw procedure was adopted by the Club Competitions Committee.

Match system

The qualifying phase and play-offs follow the knockout system, whereby each team plays each opponent twice, in home and away matches.

Draw system and conditions

A draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the ties for the qualifying phase and play-offs. Clubs are seeded for these draws in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season (see Annex D) and with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. If, for any reason, any of the participants in the round in question are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved in an undecided tie is used for the purposes of the draw.

The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

A draw is conducted to determine the ties of each match and which team plays the first leg match at home.

In accordance with the relevant decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from the following associations may not be drawn against each other:

Armenia – Azerbaijan
Gibraltar – Spain
Kosovo – Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kosovo – Serbia
Kosovo – Russia*
Ukraine – Russia*
Ukraine – Belarus

*All teams from Russia are suspended until further notice by the decision of the Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, and as confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022.

Draw system (Champions Path)

The ten teams (four that enter the competition at this stage and the six pairings coming from the third qualifying round ties, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Winners of Pairing 1 to 6) were divided equally into five seeded and five unseeded teams and/or pairings.

As the teams qualifying from the third qualifying round were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the higher coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw. Therefore, if a team in a third qualifying round tie has a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the play-offs draw, the winner of that tie was automatically seeded for the draw.

Groupings (Champions Path)

Seeded
GNK Dinamo (CRO)
FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)
Winners of pairing 1: Malmö FF (SWE) / PAOK FC (GRE)
Winners of pairing 2: FC Midtjylland (DEN) / Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
BSC Young Boys (SUI)

Unseeded
Winners of pairing 3: Qarabağ FK (AZE) / PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
Galatasaray A.Ş. (TUR)
Winners of pairing 4: ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / APOEL FC (CYP)
Winners of pairing 5: Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) / FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
Winners of pairing 6: AC Sparta Praha (CZE) / Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU)

Draw procedure (Champions Path)

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams and/or pairings placed in the corresponding marked bowls.

One ball was then taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they were shuffled. The first team and/or pairing then drawn from this bowl was considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team and/or pairing drawn.

The process was then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties.

Draw system (League Path)

The four winners of the third qualifying round ties, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Winners of Pairing 1 to 4, were divided equally into two seeded and two unseeded pairings.

As the teams qualifying from the third qualifying round are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the higher coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw. Therefore, if a team in a third qualifying round tie has a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the play-offs draw, the winner of that tie was automatically seeded for the draw.

Groupings (League Path)

Seeded
Winners of pairing 1: FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) / Rangers FC (SCO)
Winners of pairing 2: SK Slavia Praha (CZE) / R. Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

Unseeded
Winners of pairing 3: FC Salzburg (AUT) / FC Twente (NED)
Winners of pairing 4: LOSC Lille (FRA) / Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

Draw procedure (League Path)

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded pairings placed in the corresponding marked bowls.

One ball was then taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they were shuffled. The first pairing then drawn from this bowl is considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second pairing drawn.

The process was then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties.

Draw explanation (Champions Path and League Path)

A video explaining the draw procedure was shown prior to the draw.

Calendar elaboration

All matches are played in accordance with the UEFA Match Calendar (see Annex C). These dates are final and binding on all concerned, subject to the provisions of Paragraph 24.01 to Paragraph 24.02. The following principles apply to this competition:

a) Matches are played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the exception of the first matchday of the league phase, where matches are played across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the final, which is played on a Saturday. Exceptions to this rule can be made by the UEFA administration.

b) From the play-offs onwards, the UEFA administration decides the match schedule of each round.

The kick-off times from the play-offs onwards are established by the UEFA administration.

The play-offs and league phase matches all kick off in principle at 21:00 CET. Exceptions to this rule can be made by the UEFA administration.

The play-offs calendar will be communicated in writing to the clubs and their respective associations by 18:00 CET on Monday 5 August 2024.