UEFA Youth League domestic champions path draw

Domestic champions path draw: first round (2 & 23 October)

Gabala (AZE) v APOEL (CYP)
Shkëndija Tiranë (ALB) v Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
MTK Budapest (HUN) v HŠK Zrinjski (BIH)
Real Zaragoza (ESP) v Korona Kielce (POL)
FC Minsk (BLR) v Derby County (ENG)
Elfsborg (SWE) v Midtjylland (DEN)
Sogndal (NOR) v Honka (FIN)
ÍA Akranes (ISL) v Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Bohemians (IRL) v PAOK (GRE)
Rennes (FRA) v Brodarac (SRB)
Young Boys (SUI) v Rangers (SCO)
Porto (POR, holders) v Liepāja (LVA)
Viitorul (ROU) v Domžale (SVN)
Ludogorets (BUL) v Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) v KF Shkëndija (MKD)
Astana (KAZ) v Maccabi Petah Tikva (ISR)

Domestic champions path draw: second round (6 & 27 November)

Shkëndija Tiranë (ALB)/Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) v Sogndal (NOR)/Honka (FIN)
Real Zaragoza (ESP)/Korona Kielce (POL) v Gabala (AZE)/APOEL (CYP)
Elfsborg (SWE)/Midtjylland (DEN) v MTK Budapest (HUN)/HŠK Zrinjski (BIH)
ÍA Akranes (ISL)/Levadia Tallinn (EST) v FC Minsk (BLR)/Derby County (ENG)
Porto (POR, holders)/Liepāja (LVA) v Viitorul (ROU)/Domžale (SVN)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)/KF Shkëndija (MKD) v Bohemians (IRL)/PAOK (GRE)
Young Boys (SUI)/Rangers (SCO) v Ludogorets (BUL)/Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Rennes (FRA)/Brodarac (SRB) v Astana (KAZ)/Maccabi Petah Tikva (ISR)

Draw guide

• The domestic youth champions of the 32 best-ranked associations in the 2018 UEFA association coefficient rankings (the same rankings used to decide access to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League) are in this path. The 31st-ranked association, Liechtenstein, have no domestic youth competition, so their place is taken by Moldova, ranked 33rd.

• A vacancy in this path (from a club being eligible for the UEFA Champions League path, namely Ajax, Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Dinamo, Genk, Galatasaray, Lokomotiv Moskva, Salzburg and Slavia) is filled by the domestic youth champions of the next best-ranked association (in those cases Albania, Iceland, Hungary, North Macedonia, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia and, represented for the first time, Estonia).
  

• Along with Estonia’s Levadia, there are debuts for Derby County, ÍA Akranes, Honka, Korona Kielce, Maccabi Petah Tikva, MTK Budapest, Rangers, Real Zaragoza, Rennes, Shkëndija Tiranë, Slovan Bratislava and Sogndal.

• Holders Porto keep up their record of entering all seven editions of this competition.

How the draw worked

First round (2 & 23 October)

• Teams were split into four geographical groups in accordance with the principles set by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee, with no seeding within them.

• For each of the four groups, one pot was prepared with eight balls, each containing the name of one domestic champions path team.

• Two balls were drawn from the bowl. Those teams will play each other, with the first team drawn playing the first match at home and the return match away.

• The previous step was carried out with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete all the pairings for Group 1.

• The last three steps were then carried out for the other groups.

Second round (6 & 27 November)

• The 16 pairings were divided into two geographical groups (Groups A and B) of eight pairings in accordance with the principles set by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee, with no seeding within them.

• Group A contained the pairings of Group 1 (’Winner of match 1’ to ‘Winner of match 4’) and Group 2 (’Winner of match 5’ to ‘Winner of match 8’) of the first round of the domestic champions path and Group B contained the pairings of Group 3 (’Winner of match 9’ to ‘Winner of match 12’) and Group 4 (’Winner of match 13’ to ‘Winner of match 16’) of the first round of the domestic champions path.

• The first-round pairings in Group A were placed in a central bowl and shuffled.

• Two balls were drawn from the bowl. These pairings will play each other, with the first pairing drawn playing the first match at home and the return away.

• The same steps were carried out with the remaining balls in the bowl, and then the same procedure followed for Group B.

• The eight domestic champions path survivors will be drawn at home to the eight UEFA Champions League path runners-up in one-off ties to decide the eight remaining round of 16 berths.

Participants 

Group 1
Real Zaragoza (ESP)
APOEL (CYP)
Korona Kielce (POL)
Gabala (AZE)
Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Shkëndija Tiranë (ALB)
MTK Budapest (HUN)
HŠK Zrinjski (BIH)

Group 2
Derby County (ENG)
Midtjylland (DEN)
Elfsborg (SWE)
FC Minsk (BLR)
Sogndal (NOR)
ÍA Akranes (ISL)
Honka (FIN)
Levadia Tallinn (EST)

Group 3
Rennes (FRA)
Porto (POR, holders)
Young Boys (SUI)
PAOK (GRE)
Brodarac (SRB)
Rangers (SCO)
Bohemians (IRL)
Liepāja (LVA)

Group 4
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Maccabi Petah Tikva (ISR)
Viitorul (ROU)
Ludogorets (BUL)
Astana (KAZ)
Domžale (SVN)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
KF Shkëndija (MKD)

Knockout dates

Play-off draw: 16 December
Play-offs: 11/12 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February
Round of 16: 3/4 March
Quarter-finals: 17/18 March
Semi-final: 17 April, Nyon
Final: 20 April, Nyon