The clubs defeated in the first and second qualifying rounds are eliminated from the competition. The 16 clubs defeated in the third qualifying round are entitled to play in the first round of the current UEFA Cup. For the qualifying rounds a draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the pairings.
The Champions League cup-holder spot is not used, because Barcelona already qualified for the group stage. This means that the champion of 10th country on the ranking list (Celtic, Scotland) qualified directly for the group stage of the Champions League, and the champion of the 16th country on the ranking list (Maccabi Haifa, Israel) will gain direct access to the 3rd qualifying round, and the champions of the 26th and 27th countries on the ranking list (Djurgårdens IF, Sweden and Ruzomberok, Slovakia) will gain direct access to the 2nd qualifying round.
At July 25 an Italian Federation (FIGC) sports court found Juventus, Fiorentina, and Lazio Roma, guilty of match-fixing in the 2005/06 domestic league, and those teams are expelled from the European Cups. AC Milan is punished with a penalty of 30 points and has to take part in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. The Italian Intertoto spot is not used due to the ongoing investigation at that time.
| 1st Qualifying Round (22 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Nova Gorica Slo 4.355 Shakhtior Saligorsk Bls 1.457 MyPa-47 Fin 3.433 Cork City Irl 1.430 Apollon Limassol Cyp 3.355 KS Elbasani Alb 1.210 Siroki Brijeg Bos 2.695 Pyunik Yerevan Arm 0.990 FH Hafnarfjardar Isl 2.595 TVMK Tallinn Est 0.880 Metalurgs Liepaja Lat 2.365 Linfield Belfast Nir 0.770 Sheriff Tiraspol Mol 2.255 Llansantffraid Wal 0.770 Sioni Bolnisi Geo 2.090 FK Baku Azb 0.660 Ekranas Panevezys Lit 1.925 F91 Dudelange Lux 0.605 Birkirkara Mlt 1.880 B36 Torshavn Far 0.550 Rabotnicki Skopje Mac 1.760 FK Aktobe Kaz 0.550 |
Unseeded teams in the 1st qualification round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Cork City replaced the seeded team Apollon Limassol (3.355), and B36 Torshavn replaced the seeded team Birkirkara (1.880). The reason for this is that the draw for the 2nd qualification round is made before the results of the 1st qualification round are known.
| 2nd Qualifying Round (28 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Steaua Bucuresti Rom 46.381 Mladá Boleslav Cze 8.769 Dinamo Kiev Ukr 36.777 FC Salzburg Aut 8.723 Levski Sofia Bul 35.016 SCP Ruzomberok Svk 6.070 Fenerbahçe Tur 28.634 Nova Gorica * Slo 4.355 Spartak Moscow Rus 21.504 MyPa-47 * Fin 3.433 Dinamo Zagreb Cro 20.647 Cork City * Irl 3.355 Red Star Belgrade Srb 20.600 Siroki Brijeg * Bos 2.695 Hearts FC Sco 20.023 FH Hafnarfjardar * Isl 2.595 FC København Den 16.593 Metalurgs Liepaja * Lat 2.365 Legia Warsaw Pol 16.104 Sheriff Tiraspol * Mol 2.255 DVSC Debrecen Hun 13.840 Sioni Bolnisi * Geo 2.090 Vålerengen IF Nor 11.921 Ekranas Panevezys * Lit 1.925 FC Zürich Sui 10.537 B36 Torshavn * Far 1.880 Djurgårdens IF Swe 9.372 Rabotnicki Skopje * Mac 1.760 |
Unseeded teams in the 2nd qualification round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Rabotnicki Skopje replaced the seeded team DVSC Debrecen (13.840), Mladá Boleslav replaced the seeded team Vålerengen IF (11.921), FC Salzburg replaced the seeded team FC Zürich (10.537), and SCP Ruzomberok replaced the seeded team Djurgårdens IF (9.372). The reason for this is that the draw for the 3rd qualification round is made before the results of the 2nd qualification round are known. In the 3rd qualifying round teams from the same country cannot play against each other.
| 3rd Qualifying Round (32 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- AC Milan Ita 129.020 Fenerbahçe ** Tur 28.634 Liverpool Eng 105.950 Austria Wien Aut 27.723 Arsenal Eng 101.950 Osasuna Esp 25.006 Valencia Esp 95.006 Chievo Verona Ita 23.020 Ajax Ned 60.640 Spartak Moscow ** Rus 21.504 Lille OSC Fra 54.757 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 20.647 Benfica Por 51.533 Red Star Belgrade ** Srb 20.600 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 46.381 Hearts FC ** Sco 20.023 CSKA Moscow Rus 42.504 Maccabi Haifa Isr 19.108 AEK Athens Gre 39.587 Standard Liège Bel 17.981 Dinamo Kiev ** Ukr 36.777 FC København ** Den 16.593 Levski Sofia ** Bul 35.016 Legia Warsaw ** Pol 16.104 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 33.777 Rabotnicki Skopje * Mac 13.840 Galatasaray Tur 33.634 Mladá Boleslav ** Cze 11.921 Hamburger SV Ger 30.960 FC Salzburg ** Aut 10.537 Slovan Liberec Cze 28.769 SCP Ruzomberok ** Svk 9.372 |
Once the third qualifying round has been completed, the 32 remaining clubs are drawn into eight groups of four. Clubs from the same association will not be drawn into the same group. A computer draw determines the final position of the teams within their group. These positions determine the order of the home and away matches. The following match sequence applies:
1st match day: 2 v 3 4th match day: 1 v 3
4 v 1 4 v 2
2nd match day: 1 v 2 5th match day: 3 v 2
3 v 4 1 v 4
3rd match day: 3 v 1 6th match day: 2 v 1
2 v 4 4 v 3
See Draw procedure announced and
Europe's finest ready for draw
for more details of the 2006 group stage draw.
| Group Stage (32 teams) |
|---|
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- FC Barcelona (TH) Esp 127.006 Olympique Lyon Fra 89.757 AC Milan *** Ita 129.020 FC Porto Por 87.533 Real Madrid Esp 120.006 PSV Eindhoven Ned 81.640 Internazionale Ita 112.020 Bayern München Ger 80.960 Liverpool *** Eng 105.950 Chelsea Eng 79.950 Arsenal *** Eng 101.950 AS Roma Ita 76.020 Manchester United Eng 100.950 Celtic Sco 60.023 Valencia *** Esp 95.006 Lille OSC *** Fra 54.757 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Sporting CP Lisbon Por 54.533 Anderlecht Bel 38.981 Benfica *** Por 51.533 Dinamo Kiev ** Ukr 36.777 Girondins Bordeaux Fra 47.757 Levski Sofia ** Bul 35.016 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 46.381 Shakhtar Donetsk *** Ukr 33.777 Werder Bremen Ger 43.960 Galatasaray *** Tur 33.634 Olympiakos Piraeus Gre 43.587 Hamburger SV *** Ger 30.960 CSKA Moscow *** Rus 42.504 Spartak Moscow ** Rus 21.504 AEK Athens *** Gre 39.587 FC København ** Den 16.593 |
The eight group-winners and eight runners-up of the group stage qualify for the second round. The clubs that finish this stage in third position in their group move into the third round of the current UEFA Cup. The clubs that finish this stage in fourth position in their group are eliminated.
The draw for the 2nd round takes the following rules into account:
a) Clubs from the same association must not be drawn against each other,
b) The winners and runners-up of the same group must not be drawn against each other,
c) The group winners must not be drawn against each other,
d) The runners up must not be drawn against each other,
e) The runners up must play the first leg at home.
The group winners are seeded above the runners-up.
| Round 2 (16 teams) |
|---|
1st in CL group 2nd in CL group ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- Chelsea Eng FC Barcelona Esp Bayern München Ger Internazionale Ita Liverpool *** Eng PSV Eindhoven Ned Valencia *** Esp AS Roma Ita Olympique Lyon Fra Real Madrid Esp Manchester United Eng Celtic Sco Arsenal *** Eng FC Porto Por AC Milan *** Ita Lille OSC *** Fra |
For the draw of the quarter-finals and semi-finals no clubs will be seeded.
KEY: * = team started in 1st qualification round ** = team started in 2nd qualification round *** = team started in 3rd qualification round