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 FC Barcelona already qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. This implies that the title holder of the Europa League, Sevilla, will be granted direct access to the group stage of the Champions League.
| 1st Qualifying Round (8 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- The New Saints Wal 5.575 Crusaders Belfast Nir 2.475 Levadia Tallinn Est 4.200 B36 Torshavn Far 1.450 Pyunik Yerevan Arm 3.550 Lincoln Red Imps Gib 0.550 FC Santa Coloma And 2.666 Folgore Sma 0.349 |
Unseeded teams in the 1st qualifying round that qualify for the next round take effectively the coefficient of their opponent in the next round: Crusaders Belfast replaced the seeded team Levadia Tallinn (4.200), and Lincoln Red Imps replaced the seeded team FC Santa Coloma (2.666). 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 40.259 The New Saints * Wal 5.575 Celtic Sco 39.080 FK Sarajevo Bos 5.500 APOEL Nicosia Cyp 35.460 FK Ventspils Lat 5.350 BATE Borisov Bls 35.150 Dila Gori Geo 4.875 Ludogorets Razgrad Bul 25.350 AS Trencín Svk 4.250 Dinamo Zagreb Cro 24.700 Crusaders Belfast * Nir (4.200) NK Maribor Slo 22.225 Zalgiris Vilnius Lit 3.900 Maccabi Tel-Aviv Isr 18.200 FK Astana Kaz 3.825 Lech Poznan Pol 17.300 Milsami Orhei Mol 3.750 Partizan Belgrade Srb 14.775 Pyunik Yerevan * Arm 3.550 Malmö FF Swe 12.545 Rudar Pljevlja Mon 3.375 Garabag Agdam Azb 11.500 Vardar Skopje Mac 3.175 HJK Helsinki Fin 11.140 Stjarnan FC Isl 3.100 Molde FK Nor 10.375 Lincoln Red Imps * Gib (2.666) FC Midtjylland Den 7.960 CS Fola Esch Lux 2.525 Videoton Fehérvár Hun 7.950 Dundalk Irl 2.150 Skënderbeu Korçë Alb 5.575 Hibernians FC Mlt 1.591 |
For the draw of the 2nd round the 34 teams are divided into 1 group of 10 teams
and 2 groups of 12 teams. The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: APOEL Nicosia, NK Maribor, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Lech Poznan, Garabag Agdam
unseeded: FK Sarajevo, FK Astana, Rudar Pljevlja, Vardar Skopje, Hibernians FC
Group 2
seeded: Celtic, BATE Borisov, Malmö FF, HJK Helsinki, Molde FK, FC Midtjylland
unseeded: (FC Santa Coloma), FK Ventspils, Zalgiris Vilnius, (Pyunik Yerevan), Stjarnan, FC Dundalk
Group 3
seeded: Steaua Bucuresti, Ludogorets Razgrad, Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan Belgrade, Videoton Fehérvár, Skënderbeu Korçë
unseeded: Dila Gori, AS Trencín, (Levadia Tallinn), Milsami Orhei, (The New Saints), 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: Milsami Orhei replaced the seeded team Ludogorets Razgrad (25.350), and FK Astana replaced the seeded team NK Maribor (22.225). 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 84.875 Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 18.200 FC Salzburg Aut 43.135 Lech Poznan ** Pol 17.300 Viktoria Plzen Cze 41.825 Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 14.775 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 40.259 Malmö FF ** Swe 12.545 Celtic ** Sco 39.080 Garabag Agdam ** Azb 11.500 APOEL Nicosia ** Cyp 35.460 HJK Helsinki ** Fin 11.140 BATE Borisov ** Bls 35.150 Molde FK ** Nor 10.375 Milsami Orhei ** Mol (25.350) FC Midtjylland ** Den 7.960 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 24.700 Videoton Fehérvár ** Hun 7.950 FK Astana ** Kaz (22.225) Skënderbeu Korçë ** Alb 5.575 |
For the draw of the 3rd round the 20 teams are divided into 2 groups of 10 teams.
The draw groups were as follows:
Group 1
seeded: FC Basel, (Steaua Bucuresti), (Celtic), (Ludogorets Razgrad), (NK Maribor)
unseeded: (Lech Poznan), (Partizan Belgrade), (Garabag Agdam), (HJK Helsinki), (Skënderbeu Korçë)
Group 2
seeded: FC Salzburg, Viktoria Plzen, (APOEL Nicosia), (BATE Borisov), (Dinamo Zagreb)
unseeded: (Maccabi Tel-Aviv), (Malmö FF), (Molde FK), (FC Midtjylland), (Videoton Fehérvár)
| 3rd Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 86.033 Young Boys Sui 31.375 Ajax Ned 66.195 Sparta Praha Cze 30.825 CSKA Moscow Rus 55.599 Fenerbahçe Tur 30.020 Club Brugge Bel 41.440 Panathinaikos Gre 19.880 AS Monaco Fra 31.483 Rapid Wien Aut 15.635 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- FC Basel *3 Sui 84.875 Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 18.200 Celtic ** Sco 39.080 Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 14.775 APOEL Nicosia ** Cyp 35.460 Malmö FF ** Swe 12.545 BATE Borisov ** Bls 35.150 Skënderbeu Korçë ** Alb 5.575 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 24.700 FK Astana ** Kaz 3.825 |
| 4th Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (10 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Manchester United Eng 103.078 CSKA Moscow *3 Rus 55.599 Valencia Esp 99.999 Lazio Ita 49.102 Bayer Leverkusen Ger 87.883 Club Brugge *3 Bel 41.440 Shakhtar Donetsk *3 Ukr 86.033 AS Monaco *3 Fra 31.483 Sporting CP Lisbon Por 56.276 Rapid Wien *3 Aut 15.635 |
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.
From this season on, the title-holder and the champions of the 7 top-ranked
associations are placed in pot 1. If the title-holder is from one of the 7
top-ranked associations, the champion of the association ranked 8 is also put
in pot 1. The other pots are filled according to the club ranking.
| Group Stage (32 teams) |
|---|
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- FC Barcelona Esp 164.999 Real Madrid Esp 171.999 Chelsea Eng 142.078 Atlético Madrid Esp 120.999 Bayern München Ger 154.883 FC Porto Por 111.276 Juventus Ita 95.102 Arsenal Eng 110.078 Benfica Por 118.276 Manchester United *4 Eng 103.078 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 100.483 Valencia *4 Esp 99.999 Zenit St. Petersburg Rus 90.099 Bayer Leverkusen *4 Ger 87.883 PSV Eindhoven Ned 58.195 Manchester City Eng 87.078 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ---------------- ------------------------ --- ---------------- Shakhtar Donetsk *3 Ukr 86.033 BATE Borisov ** Bls 35.150 Sevilla Esp 80.499 Borussia Mönchengladbach Ger 33.883 Olympique Lyon Fra 72.983 VfL Wolfsburg Ger 31.883 Dinamo Kiev Ukr 65.033 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 24.700 Olympiakos Piraeus Gre 62.380 Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 18.200 CSKA Moscow *3 Rus 55.599 AA Gent Bel 13.440 Galatasaray Tur 50.020 Malmö FF ** Swe 12.545 AS Roma Ita 43.602 FK Astana ** Kaz 3.825 |
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 ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- Real Madrid Esp Paris Saint-Germain Fra VfL Wolfsburg Ger PSV Eindhoven Ned Atlético Madrid Esp Benfica Por Manchester City Eng Juventus Ita FC Barcelona Esp AS Roma Ita Bayern München Ger Arsenal Eng Chelsea Eng Dinamo Kiev Ukr Zenit St. Petersburg Rus AA Gent Bel |
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 |