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 will not be used because Manchester United already qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. This implies that the champions of the 23th and 24th countries on the ranking list (Wisla Kraków, Poland and MTK Budapest, Hungary) gain direct access to the 2nd qualifying round, the CL entrant of the 16th country on the ranking list (Levski Sofia, Bulgaria) gains direct access to the 3rd qualifying round, and the champion of the 10th country on the ranking list (Celtic, Scotland) gains direct access to the group stage.
| 1st Qualifying Round (28 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Dinamo Zagreb Cro 17.836 BATE Borisov Bls 1.760 Petrzalka Bratislava Svk 14.070 Levadia Tallinn Est 1.430 NK Domzale Slo 5.272 Inter Baku Azb 1.265 IFK Göteborg Swe 4.518 Dinamo Tirana Alb 1.210 Anorthosis Famagusta Cyp 4.327 Pyunik Yerevan Arm 1.210 Tampere United Fin 4.176 FK Aktobe Kaz 0.852 Dinamo Tbilisi Geo 3.925 Linfield Belfast Nir 0.770 FK Ventspils Lat 3.915 Llanelli FC Wal 0.770 Rabotnicki Skopje Mac 3.090 NSI Runavik Far 0.605 FK Modrica Bos 2.805 F91 Dudelange Lux 0.495 FBK Kaunas Lit 2.640 Valletta FC Mlt 0.275 Sheriff Tiraspol Mol 2.475 Santa Coloma And 0.165 Drogheda United Irl 2.420 Buducnost Podgorica Mon 0.165 Valur Reykjavik Isl 1.980 Murata Sma 0.082 |
Unseeded teams in the 1st qualification round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Inter Baku replaced the seeded team Rabotnicki Skopje (3.090), and BATE Borisov replaced the seeded team Valur Reykjavik (1.980). 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. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Glasgow Rangers Sco 66.013 NK Domzale * Slo 5.272 Panathinaikos Gre 52.525 Beitar Jerusalem Isr 5.197 FC Basel Sui 51.993 MTK Budapest Hun 4.960 Fenerbahçe Tur 51.469 IFK Göteborg * Swe 4.518 Anderlecht Bel 41.810 Anorthosis Famagusta * Cyp 4.327 Sparta Praha Cze 36.496 Tampere United * Fin 4.176 Dinamo Kiev Ukr 34.932 Dinamo Tbilisi * Geo 3.925 Partizan Belgrade Srb 25.527 FK Ventspils * Lat 3.915 Dinamo Zagreb * Cro 17.836 Inter Baku * Azb 3.090 Wisla Kraków Pol 15.973 FK Modrica * Bos 2.805 Petrzalka Bratislava * Svk 14.070 FBK Kaunas * Lit 2.640 AaB Aalborg Den 12.748 Sheriff Tiraspol * Mol 2.475 SK Brann Bergen Nor 12.400 Drogheda United * Irl 2.420 Rapid Wien Aut 10.840 BATE Borisov * Bls 1.980 |
Unseeded teams in the 2nd qualification round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: FBK Kaunas replaced the seeded team Glasgow Rangers (66.013), BATE Borisov replaced the seeded team Anderlecht (41.810), Anorthosis Famagusta replaced the seeded team Rapid Wien (10.840). 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. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Liverpool Eng 118.996 Atlético Madrid Esp 36.837 FC Barcelona Esp 117.837 Sparta Praha ** Cze 36.496 Arsenal Eng 110.996 Dinamo Kiev ** Ukr 34.932 Schalke 04 Ger 67.078 Levski Sofia Bul 32.644 Juventus Ita 66.934 Slavia Praha Cze 31.496 FBK Kaunas * Lit 66.013 Galatasaray Tur 30.469 Olympique Marseille Fra 63.380 Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 25.527 Steaua Bucuresti Rom 59.398 Vitória Guimarăes Por 18.176 Panathinaikos ** Gre 52.525 Dinamo Zagreb * Cro 17.836 FC Basel ** Sui 51.993 Wisla Kraków ** Pol 15.973 Olympiakos Piraeus Gre 51.525 Standard Ličge Bel 14.810 Fenerbahçe ** Tur 51.469 FC Twente Enschede Ned 14.610 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 49.932 Petrzalka Bratislava * Svk 14.070 BATE Borisov * Bls 41.810 AaB Aalborg ** Den 12.748 Fiorentina Ita 40.934 SK Brann Bergen ** Nor 12.400 Spartak Moscow Rus 40.437 Anorthosis Famagusta * Cyp 10.840 |
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 2006 draw procedure announced and
Europe's finest ready for draw
for more details of the group stage draw.
| Group Stage (32 teams) |
|---|
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Manchester United (TH) Eng 107.996 Bayern München Ger 92.078 Chelsea Eng 124.996 PSV Eindhoven Ned 91.610 Liverpool *** Eng 118.996 Villarreal Esp 90.837 FC Barcelona *** Esp 117.837 AS Roma Ita 81.934 Arsenal *** Eng 110.996 FC Porto Por 81.176 Olympique Lyon Fra 99.380 Werder Bremen Ger 74.078 Internazionale Ita 96.934 Sporting CP Lisbon Por 67.176 Real Madrid Esp 93.837 Juventus *** Ita 66.934 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Olympique Marseille *** Fra 63.380 Shakhtar Donetsk *** Ukr 49.932 Zenit St. Petersburg Rus 60.437 Fiorentina *** Ita 40.934 Steaua Bucuresti *** Rom 59.398 Atlético Madrid *** Esp 36.837 Panathinaikos ** Gre 52.525 Dinamo Kiev ** Ukr 34.932 Girondins Bordeaux Fra 52.380 CFR Cluj Rom 13.398 Celtic Sco 52.013 AaB Aalborg ** Den 12.748 FC Basel ** Sui 51.993 Anorthosis Famagusta * Cyp 4.327 Fenerbahçe ** Tur 51.469 BATE Borisov * Bls 1.760 |
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.
See 2008 CL 2nd round draw procedure for more details.
| Round 2 (16 teams) |
|---|
1st in CL group 2nd in CL group ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- AS Roma Ita Chelsea Eng Panathinaikos ** Gre Internazionale Ita FC Barcelona *** Esp Sporting CP Lisbon Por Liverpool *** Eng Atlético Madrid *** Esp Manchester United (TH) Eng Villarreal Esp Bayern München Ger Olympique Lyon Fra FC Porto Por Arsenal *** Eng Juventus *** Ita Real Madrid Esp |
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