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 Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid already qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. This implies that the champion of the 13th country on the ranking list (Switzerland) has direct access to the group stage, the champion of the 16th country on the ranking list (Austria) has direct access to the 3rd qualifying round, and the champions of the 47th and 48th countries on the ranking list (Northern Ireland and Wales) have direct access to the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League.
| 1st Qualifying Round (6 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Levadia Tallinn Est 4.575 Banants Yerevan Arm 1.325 HB Torshavn Far 3.175 La Fiorita Sma 0.699 FC Santa Coloma And 2.166 Lincoln Red Imps Gib 0.000 |
Unseeded teams in the 1st qualifying round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round. 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. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Steaua Bucuresti Rom 39.451 Dinamo Tbilisi Geo 6.975 Celtic Sco 36.813 Malmö FF Swe 6.265 BATE Borisov Bls 33.725 KR Reykjavik Isl 5.350 Sparta Praha Cze 28.870 F91 Dudelange Lux 4.975 Dinamo Zagreb Cro 23.925 Strømsgodset IF Nor 4.855 Ludogorets Razgrad Bul 18.125 The New Saints Wal 4.850 Maccabi Tel-Aviv Isr 17.875 St. Patrick's Athletic Irl 4.775 Sheriff Tiraspol Mol 17.075 Skënderbeu Korçë Alb 4.600 NK Maribor Slo 16.200 Levadia Tallinn * Est 4.575 Legia Warsaw Pol 15.275 Rabotnicki Skopje Mac 4.550 Partizan Belgrade Srb 14.825 Valletta FC Mlt 4.466 DVSC Debrecen Hun 10.325 Zrinjski Mostar Bos 4.000 Slovan Bratislava Svk 8.700 Cliftonville Nir 3.225 FK Aktobe Kaz 8.150 HB Torshavn * Far 3.175 FK Ventspils Lat 7.750 Zalgiris Vilnius Lit 3.050 Garabag Agdam Azb 7.575 Sutjeska Niksic Mon 2.450 HJK Helsinki Fin 7.435 FC Santa Coloma * And 2.166 |
The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: BATE Borisov, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sheriff Tiraspol, NK Maribor, FK Aktobe
unseeded: Dinamo Tbilisi, Skënderbeu Korçë, Levadia Tallinn *, Zrinjski Mostar, Sutjeska Niksic
Group 2
seeded: Celtic, Sparta Praha, Partizan Belgrade, DVSC Debrecen, Slovan Bratislava, FK Ventspils
unseeded: Malmö FF, KR Reykjavik, The New Saints, Cliftonville, HB Torshavn *, FC Santa Coloma *
Group 3
seeded: Steaua Bucuresti, Dinamo Zagreb, Ludogorets Razgrad, Legia Warsaw, Garabag Agdam, HJK Helsinki
unseeded: F91 Dudelange, Strømsgodset IF, St. Patrick's Athletic, Rabotnicki Skopje, Valletta FC, Zalgiris Vilnius
Unseeded teams in the 2nd qualifying round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Malmö FF replaced the seeded team FK Ventspils (7.750). 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 Salzburg Aut 46.185 NK Maribor ** Slo 16.200 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 39.451 Legia Warsaw ** Pol 15.275 APOEL Nicosia Cyp 37.650 Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 14.825 Celtic ** Sco 36.813 DVSC Debrecen ** Hun 10.325 BATE Borisov ** Bls 33.725 Slovan Bratislava ** Svk 8.700 Sparta Praha ** Cze 28.870 FK Aktobe ** Kaz 8.150 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 23.925 Malmö FF ** Swe (7.750) Ludogorets Razgrad ** Bul 18.125 Garabag Agdam ** Azb 7.575 Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 17.875 HJK Helsinki ** Fin 7.435 Sheriff Tiraspol ** Mol 17.075 AaB Aalborg Den 5.260 |
The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: FC Salzburg, (Celtic), (BATE Borisov), (Dinamo Zagreb), (Sheriff Tiraspol)
unseeded: (Legia Warsaw), (DVSC Debrecen), (Garabag Agdam), (Slovan Bratislava), AaB Aalborg
Group 2
seeded: (Steaua Bucuresti), APOEL Nicosia, (Sparta Praha), (Ludogorets Razgrad), (Maccabi Tel-Aviv)
unseeded: (NK Maribor), (Partizan Belgrade), (FK Aktobe), (FK Ventspils), (HJK Helsinki)
| 3rd Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Zenit St. Petersburg Rus 73.899 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Ukr 32.193 Lille OSC Fra 45.300 Panathinaikos Gre 30.220 FC København Den 45.260 Feyenoord Ned 13.362 Standard Liège Bel 38.260 Grasshoppers Zürich Sui 9.645 Besiktas Tur 32.840 AEL Limassol Cyp 7.650 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- FC Salzburg *3 Aut 46.185 Ludogorets Razgrad ** Bul 18.125 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 39.451 NK Maribor ** Slo 16.200 APOEL Nicosia *3 Cyp 37.650 Slovan Bratislava ** Svk 8.700 Celtic ** Sco 36.813 Malmö FF ** Swe 6.265 BATE Borisov ** Bls 33.725 AaB Aalborg *3 Den 5.260 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Arsenal Eng 112.949 Athletic Bilbao Esp 54.542 FC Porto Por 105.459 Lille OSC *3 Fra 45.300 Zenit St. Petersburg *3 Rus 73.899 FC København *3 Den 45.260 Bayer Leverkusen Ger 70.328 Standard Liège *3 Bel 38.260 Napoli Ita 61.387 Besiktas *3 Tur 32.840 |
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. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Real Madrid Esp 161.542 Schalke 04 Ger 95.328 FC Barcelona Esp 157.542 Borussia Dortmund Ger 82.328 Bayern München Ger 154.328 Juventus Ita 80.387 Chelsea Eng 140.949 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 80.300 Benfica Por 129.459 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 78.193 Atlético Madrid Esp 119.542 FC Basel Sui 75.645 Arsenal *4 Eng 112.949 Zenit St. Petersburg *3 Rus 73.899 FC Porto *4 Por 105.459 Manchester City Eng 72.949 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Bayer Leverkusen *4 Ger 70.328 Anderlecht Bel 50.260 Olympiakos Piraeus Gre 67.720 AS Roma Ita 39.887 CSKA Moscow Rus 66.899 APOEL Nicosia *3 Cyp 37.650 Ajax Ned 61.862 BATE Borisov ** Bls 33.725 Liverpool Eng 58.949 Ludogorets Razgrad ** Bul 18.125 Sporting CP Lisbon Por 58.459 NK Maribor ** Slo 16.200 Galatasaray Tur 55.340 AS Monaco Fra 11.300 Athletic Bilbao *4 Esp 54.542 Malmö FF ** Swe 6.265 |
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 ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- Atlético Madrid Esp Juventus Ita Real Madrid Esp FC Basel Sui AS Monaco Fra Bayer Leverkusen *4 Ger Borussia Dortmund Ger Arsenal *4 Eng Bayern München Ger Manchester City Eng FC Barcelona Esp Paris Saint-Germain Fra Chelsea Eng Schalke 04 Ger FC Porto *4 Por Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr |
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 |