Although the regulations no longer require the use of regional groups (as used before 2009), UEFA still uses some kind of regionalization in CL-Q2 and EL-Q1. At first the clubs are divided into seeded and unseeded teams, and then the seeded and unseeded teams are split into regional groups. The general approach seems to use the North/Central/South scheme, but no specific rules are known.
The clubs defeated in the 1st and 2nd qualifying rounds are eliminated from the competition. The 15 clubs defeated in the 3rd qualifying round are entitled to play in the 4th qualifying round of the Europa League, and the 10 clubs defeated in the 4th qualifying round are entitled to play in the group stage of the Europa League. The 3rd and 4th qualifying rounds are split into two sections: one for champions and one for non-champions.
The Champions League cup-holder spot will not be used because Bayern München already qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. This implies that the champion of the 13th country on the ranking list (Denmark) has direct access to the group stage, the champion of the 16th country on the ranking list (Cyprus) has direct access to the 3rd qualifying round, and the champions of the 48th and 49th countries on the ranking list (Northern Ireland and Luxumburg) have direct access to the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League.
| 1st Qualifying Round (4 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- EB Streymur Far 2.316 FC Lusitanos And 1.100 Tre Penne Sma 1.383 Shirak Gyumri Arm 0.850 |
Unseeded teams in the 1st qualifying round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Shirak Gyumri replaced the seeded team Tre Penne (1.383). The reason for this is that the draw for the 2nd qualifying round is made before the results of the 1st qualifying round are known.
| 2nd Qualifying Round (34 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- BATE Borisov Bls 39.175 Zeljeznicar Sarajevo Bos 4.566 Celtic Sco 37.538 FH Hafnarfjardar Isl 4.083 Steaua Bucuresti Rom 35.604 ETO Györ Hun 3.850 Viktoria Plzen Cze 28.745 The New Saints Wal 3.766 Dinamo Zagreb Cro 25.916 Ludogorets Razgrad Bul 3.450 Partizan Belgrade Srb 17.425 Sligo Rovers Irl 3.225 Legia Warsaw Pol 13.650 Shakhtyor Karaganda Kaz 2.941 Sheriff Tiraspol Mol 11.533 Skënderbeu Korçë Alb 2.833 NK Maribor Slo 9.941 Birkirkara Mlt 2.541 Slovan Bratislava Svk 8.341 EB Streymur * Far 2.316 IF Elfsborg Swe 8.125 Cliftonville Nir 2.116 Maccabi Tel-Aviv Isr 8.075 Vardar Skopje Mac 2.050 Molde FK Nor 7.835 Daugava Daugavpils Lat 1.658 HJK Helsinki Fin 6.701 Shirak Gyumri * Arm (1.383) Ekranas Panevezys Lit 6.300 Sutjeska Niksic Mon 1.300 Neftchi Baku Azb 5.708 Kalju Nomme Est 1.191 Dinamo Tbilisi Geo 5.333 CS Fola Esch Lux 0.925 |
The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: Steaua Bucuresti, Viktoria Plzen, Sheriff Tiraspol, NK Maribor, Neftchi Baku
unseeded: Zeljeznicar Sarajevo, Skënderbeu Korçë, Birkirkara, Vardar Skopje, Sutjeska Niksic
Group 2
seeded: Celtic, Legia Warsaw, IF Elfsborg, Molde FK, HJK Helsinki, Ekranas Panevezys
unseeded: FH Hafnarfjardar, The New Saints, Sligo Rovers, Cliftonville, Daugava Daugavpils, Kalju Nomme
Group 3
seeded: BATE Borisov, Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan Belgrade, Slovan Bratislava, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dinamo Tbilisi
unseeded: ETO Györ, Ludogorets Razgrad, Shakhtyor Karaganda, (EB Streymur), (Tre Penne), CS Fola Esch
Unseeded teams in the 2nd qualifying round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Shakhtyor Karaganda replaced the seeded team BATE Borisov (39.175), Kalju Nomme replaced the seeded team HJK Helsinki (6.701), Skënderbeu Korçë replaced the seeded team Neftchi Baku (5.708), FH Hafnarfjardar replaced the seeded team Ekranas Panevezys (6.300), Ludogorets Razgrad replaced the seeded team Slovan Bratislava (8.341). The reason for this is that the draw for the 3rd qualifying round is made before the results of the 2nd qualifying round are known.
| 3rd Qualifying Round for Champions (20 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- FC Basel Sui 59.785 Sheriff Tiraspol ** Mol 11.533 Shakhtyor Karaganda ** Kaz (39.175) NK Maribor ** Slo 9.941 Celtic ** Sco 37.538 Ludogorets Razgrad ** Bul (8.341) Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 35.604 IF Elfsborg ** Swe 8.125 APOEL Nicosia Cyp 35.366 Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 8.075 Viktoria Plzen ** Cze 28.745 Molde FK ** Nor 7.835 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 25.916 Kalju Nomme ** Est (6.701) Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 17.425 FH Hafnarfjardar ** Isl (6.300) Austria Wien Aut 16.575 Skënderbeu Korçë ** Alb (5.708) Legia Warsaw ** Pol 13.650 Dinamo Tbilisi ** Geo 5.333 |
The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: FC Basel, (Steaua Bucuresti), APOEL Nicosia, (Partizan Belgrade), (Legia Warsaw)
unseeded: (NK Maribor), (Slovan Bratislava), (Maccabi Tel-Aviv), (Molde FK), (Dinamo Tbilisi)
Group 2
seeded: (BATE Borisov), (Celtic), (Viktoria Plzen), (Dinamo Zagreb), Austria Wien
unseeded: (Sheriff Tiraspol), (IF Elfsborg), (HJK Helsinki), (Ekranas Panevezys), (Neftchi Baku)
| 3rd Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Olympique Lyon Fra 95.800 PAOK Thessaloniki Gre 28.800 Zenit St. Petersburg Rus 70.766 FC Salzburg Aut 28.075 PSV Eindhoven Ned 64.945 FC Nordsjĉlland Den 12.640 Metalist Kharkiv Ukr 62.451 Grasshoppers Zürich Sui 7.285 Fenerbahçe Tur 46.400 Zulte Waregem Bel 6.880 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- FC Basel *3 Sui 59.785 Austria Wien *3 Aut 16.575 Celtic ** Sco 37.538 Legia Warsaw ** Pol 13.650 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 35.604 NK Maribor ** Slo 9.941 Viktoria Plzen ** Cze 28.745 Ludogorets Razgrad ** Bul 3.450 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 25.916 Shakhtyor Karaganda ** Kaz 2.941 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Arsenal Eng 113.592 PSV Eindhoven *3 Ned 64.945 Olympique Lyon *3 Fra 95.800 Metalist Kharkiv *3 Ukr 62.451 AC Milan Ita 93.829 Fenerbahçe *3 Tur 46.400 Schalke 04 Ger 84.922 Real Sociedad Esp 17.605 Zenit St. Petersburg *3 Rus 70.766 Paços de Ferreira Por 12.833 |
After the draw Metalist Kharkiv was banned by UEFA due to match fixing and replaced by PAOK Thessaloniki.
Once the 4th qualifying round (or play-off 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
2008 group-stage draw
for more details of the group stage draw.
| Group Stage (32 teams) |
|---|
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Bayern München (TH) Ger 146.922 Atlético Madrid Esp 99.605 FC Barcelona Esp 157.605 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 94.951 Chelsea Eng 137.592 AC Milan *4 Ita 93.829 Real Madrid Esp 136.605 Schalke 04 *4 Ger 84.922 Manchester United Eng 130.592 Olympique Marseille Fra 78.800 Arsenal *4 Eng 113.592 CSKA Moscow Rus 77.766 FC Porto Por 104.833 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 71.800 Benfica Por 102.833 Juventus Ita 70.829 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Zenit St. Petersburg *3 Rus 70.766 FC Kĝbenhavn Den 47.140 Manchester City Eng 70.592 Napoli Ita 46.829 Ajax Ned 64.945 Anderlecht Bel 44.880 Borussia Dortmund Ger 61.922 Celtic ** Sco 37.538 FC Basel *3 Sui 59.785 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 35.604 Olympiakos Piraeus Gre 57.800 Viktoria Plzen ** Cze 28.745 Galatasaray Tur 54.400 Real Sociedad *4 Esp 17.605 Bayer Leverkusen Ger 53.922 Austria Wien *3 Aut 16.575 |
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 Europa League. 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 ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- Bayern München (TH) Ger Arsenal *4 Eng FC Barcelona Esp AC Milan *4 Ita Chelsea Eng Schalke 04 *4 Ger Real Madrid Esp Zenit St. Petersburg *3 Rus Manchester United Eng Manchester City Eng Atlético Madrid Esp Olympiakos Piraeus Gre Paris Saint-Germain Fra Galatasaray Tur Borussia Dortmund Ger Bayer Leverkusen Ger |
For the draw of the quarter-finals and semi-finals no clubs will be seeded.
KEY:
| * | = | team started in 1st qualifying round |
| ** | = | team started in 2nd qualifying round |
| *3 | = | team started in 3rd qualifying round |
| *4 | = | team started in 4th qualifying round |