The next steps became clearer for Anderlecht, PAOK, Rubin, Trabzonspor and Vitesse after the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round draw was made in Nyon.

Shamrock Rovers were the only team certain of a place in the champions path section of the draw, while just nine of the 54 sides in the main path were confirmed, including European stalwarts Anderlecht, PAOK and Trabzonspor. The remaining places were set with the second qualifying round winners and teams transferring from the same stage of the UEFA Champions League.

Champions path

Maccabi Haifa (ISR) vs HB Tórshavn (FRO)
Linfield (NIR) vs Fola Esch (LUX)
Shamrock Rovers (IRL) vs Teuta (ALB)
Riga FC (LVA) vs Hibernians (MLT)
Prishtina (KOS) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR)

Main path

Dinamo Batumi (GEO) vs Sivasspor (TUR)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN) vs Astana (KAZ)
Sochi (RUS) vs Partizan (SRB)
Śląsk Wrocław (POL) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)
Santa Clara (POR) vs Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN)
Újpest (HUN) vs Basel (SUI)
Kolos Kovalivka (UKR) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)
Elfsborg (SWE) vs Velež (BIH)
Paços de Ferreira (POR) vs Larne (NIR)
Luzern (SUI) vs Feyenoord (NED)

RFS (LVA) vs Gent (BEL)
Hibernian (SCO) vs Rijeka (CRO)
Breidablik (ISL) vs Aberdeen (SCO)
Trabzonspor (TUR) vs Molde (NOR)
Bohemians (IRL) vs PAOK (GRE)
The New Saints (WAL) vs Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
Raków Czestochowa (POL) vs Rubin (RUS)
Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL) vs Copenhagen (DEN)
Čukarički (SRB) vs Hammarby (SWE)
Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) vs Žilina (SVK)

CSKA-Sofia (BUL) vs Osijek (CRO)
Vojvodina (SRB) vs LASK (AUT)
AEL Limassol (CYP) vs Qarabağ (AZE)
Spartak Trnava (SVK) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)
Rosenborg (NOR) vs Domžale (SVN)
Laç (ALB) vs Anderlecht (BEL)
Vitesse (NED) vs Dundalk (IRL)

When are the games?

Ties are scheduled to be played on 5 and 12 August. The winners will advance to the champions path and main path play-offs.

How the draw worked

There are two paths at this stage: champions path and main path.

Champions Path

• Shamrock Rovers and the nine champions path second qualifying round winners (matches played on 22 and 29 July) were drawn into ties without seeding. The first ball drawn designated the home team for the first leg.

• As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee, clubs from Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo could not be drawn against each other.

Main path

• The nine teams entering at this stage were joined by the 45 second qualifying round winners.

• The clubs were divided into six groups of eight teams (Groups 1 to 6) and one group of six teams (Group 7). Within each group, the teams were split into an equal number of seeded and unseeded sides, in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season.

• As the second qualifying round matches are not played until 22 and 29 July, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved in an undecided tie was used for the purposes of the draw.

• For Groups 1 to 6, each of the teams was randomly assigned a number: 1 to 4 for the seeded teams and 5 to 8 for the unseeded teams. Two bowls were prepared, one for the seeded teams and the other for unseeded.

• One ball was taken from each bowl and placed into an empty bowl, where the two were shuffled. One was drawn first at random, and the second was picked out to complete the tie. The result applied to all six groups, and the same procedure was carried out with the remaining balls to complete the pairings.

• The procedure was then repeated for Group 7, where the clubs were randomly given a number from 1 to 3 for the seeded teams and 4 to 6 for the unseeded. In all seven groups, the first ball drawn designated the home team for the first leg.

• Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.

Road to Tirana: season calendar

Third qualifying round draw: 19 July
Second qualifying round: 22 & 29 July
Play-off round draw: 2 August
Third qualifying round: 5 & 12 August
Play-offs: 19 & 26 August

Group stage draw: 27 August
Group stage: 16 & 30 September, 21 October, 4 & 25 November, 9 December

Knockout round play-off draw: 13 December
Knockout round play-offs: 17 & 24 February
Round of 16 draw: 25 February
Round of 16: 10 & 17 March
Quarter-finals & Semi-final draw: 18 March
Quarter-finals: 7 & 14 April
Semi-finals: 28 April & 5 May
Final: 25 May (National Arena, Tirana)

Special COVID rules 

Please be aware of the special rules applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs of the competition due to COVID-19, which can be found here.

With regard to travelling fans being admitted to matches, more information can be found here.