All you need to know: #UCL third qualifying round draw
Friday, July 14, 2017
Article summary
Dynamo Kyiv and Ajax are among the heavyweights entering the fray in Friday's UEFA Champions League third qualifying draw, streamed live on UEFA.com from 12:00CET.
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When and where is the draw?
The draw begins at 12:00CET on Friday 14 July. It will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon and will be streamed live here on UEFA.com.
Who is involved in the draw?
Beginning at this stage is the league route, which is made up of the third-placed team from the sixth-ranked member association (France) plus the league runners-up from the associations ranked 7th to 15th. The five teams with the highest coefficients are seeded. Any further restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw.
Seeded
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Ajax (NED)
Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Club Brugge (BEL)
Unseeded
FCSB (ROU)
Young Boys (SUI)
Nice (FRA)
İstanbul Başakşehir (TUR)
AEK Athens (GRE)
The champions route involves the 17 winners of the second qualifying round ties (the second legs of which are on 18 and 19 July) plus the champions from the three highest-ranked associations that do not qualify for an automatic group place (the Czech Republic, Greece and Romania).
Plus 17 second qualifying round winners to be confirmed
Group 1
Seeded
Linfield (NIR) or Celtic (SCO)
Žilina (SVK) / København (DEN)
BATE Borisov (BLR) or Alashkert (ARM)
IFK Mariehamn (FIN) or Legia Warszawa (POL)
Zrinjski (BIH) or Maribor (SVN)
Unseeded
Malmö (SWE) or Vardar (MKD)
Spartaks Jūrmala (LVA) or Astana (KAZ)
Dundalk (IRL) or Rosenborg (NOR)
Slavia Praha (CZE)
FH Hafnarfjördur (ISL) or Víkingur (FRO)
Group 2
Seeded
Olympiacos (GRE)
Hibernians (MLT) or Salzburg (AUT)
Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) or Ludogorets (BUL)
APOEL (CYP) or Dudelange (LUX)
Qarabağ (AZE) or Samtredia (GEO)
Unseeded
Partizan (SRB) or Budućnost Podgorica (MNE)
Rijeka (CRO) or TNS (WAL)
Sheriff (MDA) or Kukësi (ALB)
Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) or Honvéd (HUN)
Viitorul (ROU)
How will the draw work?
Draw procedure: The sides boasting the best UEFA coefficients are seeded (the second qualifying round winners take the coefficient of the seeded team from those ties). The clubs are divided before the ceremony into two groups from which the seeded sides are drawn against the unseeded teams. Any further restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw.
For both routes, balls containing the seeded clubs are put into one bowl, with balls for the unseeded sides positioned in another. A ball is taken from each bowl and placed in a large empty bowl in the middle, where they are shuffled. The first team drawn will play the first match at home, against the second one drawn.
When are the ties?
The first legs will be played on 25/26 July with the returns scheduled for 1/2 August.
What comes next?
The play-off draw takes place in Nyon at 12:00CET on 4 August. The ten play-off winners will join 22 automatic entrants in the group stage. That draw will be made in Monaco on Thursday 24 August.