Besides the division of teams into seeded and unseeded teams, the teams in the first and second qualifying round as well as the first round may be divided into a number of groups based on economic interests of the participating clubs. One of the goals of these groups is to avoid the pairing of teams from the same country. In the qualifying rounds groups will also be formed based on geographical criteria. Each group has the same number of seeded and unseeded teams, and a seeded team will always play against an unseeded team.
The UEFA Cup cup-holder spot will not be used because Zenit St. Petersburg qualified for the Champions league. This implies that the cup winner of the 14th country on the country ranking list (Kayserispor, Turkey) will gain direct access to the 1st round round, and that the 1st UEFA Cup entrants of the 19th and 20th countries on the ranking list (Maccabi Netanya, Israel and Red Star Belgrade, Serbia) have direct access to the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
In the qualifying rounds the seeding system based on club coefficients ranking applies within each group. Compliance with the regions is implemented as far as possible. Exceptions may be necessary. There are three regions:
Because there are an odd number of teams in the Central and Southern groups in the 1st qualifying round, UEFA moved the team of Liechtenstein from the Central to the Southern group. Furthermore the teams of Serbia were moved from the Southern to the Central group. It is unknown why UEFA decided on this last move since it is not strictly required.
| 1st Qualifying Round (74 teams) |
|---|
Northern region (28 teams):
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Manchester City Eng 30.996 Vetra Vilnius Lit 2.640 FC København Den 23.748 Cork City Irl 2.420 Brøndby IF Den 18.748 St. Patrick's Athletic Irl 2.420 Viking Stavanger Nor 12.400 IA Akranes Isl 1.980 FC Midtjylland Den 6.748 Flora Tallinn Est 1.430 FC Nordsjælland Den 6.748 TVMK Tallinn Est 1.430 Djurgårdens IF Swe 6.518 Glentoran Nir 0.770 Kalmar FF Swe 4.518 Cliftonville Nir 0.770 Haka Valkeakoski Fin 3.176 Bangor City Wal 0.770 Honka Espoo Fin 3.176 The New Saints Wal 0.770 FH Hafnarfjardar Isl 2.980 EB Streymur Far 0.605 Metalurgs Liepaja Lat 2.915 B36 Torshavn Far 0.605 JFK Olimps Riga Lat 2.915 CS Grevenmacher Lux 0.495 Suduva Marijampole Lit 2.640 Racing Union Luxembourg Lux 0.495 Central-East region (24 teams): Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Austria Wien Aut 31.840 Nistru Otaci Mol 2.475 Hertha BSC Ger 27.078 Dacia Chisinau Mol 2.475 DVSC Debrecen Hun 10.960 FC Zestafoni Geo 1.925 FC Salzburg Aut 10.840 Georgia Tbilisi Geo 1.925 AC Bellinzona Sui 7.993 MTZ-Ripo Minsk Bls 1.760 Lech Poznan Pol 6.973 FC Gomel Bls 1.760 Vojvodina Novi Sad Srb 5.527 Khazar Lenkoran Azb 1.265 Borac Cacak Srb 5.527 Olimpik Baku Azb 1.265 Legia Warsaw Pol 4.973 Ararat Yerevan Arm 1.210 MSK Zilina Svk 4.070 Banants Yerevan Arm 1.210 Spartak Trnava Svk 4.070 Tobol Kustanai Kaz 0.852 ETO Györ Hun 3.960 Shakhtyor Karaganda Kaz 0.852 Southern-Mediterranean region (22 teams): Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Hapoel Tel-Aviv Isr 21.197 Milano Kumanovo Mac 2.090 Cherno More Varna Bul 7.644 Pelister Bitola Mac 2.090 Hajduk Split Cro 6.836 FC Vaduz Lie 1.815 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Isr 5.197 Vllaznia Shkodër Alb 1.210 Slaven Koprivnica Cro 3.836 Partizani Tirana Alb 1.210 APOEL Nicosia Cyp 3.327 Birkirkara Mlt 0.275 Omonia Nicosia Cyp 3.327 Marsaxlokk Mlt 0.275 NK Koper Slo 3.272 Sant Julià And 0.165 IB Ljubljana Slo 3.272 Mogren Budva Mon 0.165 Zrinjski Mostar Bos 2.805 Zeta Golubovci Mon 0.165 Siroki Brijeg Bos 2.805 Juvenes Dogana Sma 0.082 |
In the 2nd qualifying round UEFA splits each region into two drawing groups. The exact method of the distribution of teams over the groups is unknown, but is similar to the distribution of teams over groups in round 1 (see below). But because there are only two groups the main target is that for associations with seeded and unseeded clubs all seeded clubs must be in the same group and all unseeded clubs must be in the other group. If possible changes are applied only at the same row (the same position in the groups). These rules cannot explain all changes made by UEFA.
See UC-QR2 2008 draw for details of the draw procedure.
Because there are an odd number of teams in the Central and Northern groups in the 2nd qualifying round, UEFA moved the French team from the Central to the Northern group. Furthermore the teams of Latvia and Lituania were moved from the Northern to the Central group, and the teams of Romania and Slovenia were moved from the Southern to the Central group. It is unknown why UEFA decided on these last moves since it is not strictly required. One of the reasons could be to have more balance in the groups with respect to the coefficients.
| 2nd Qualifying Round (64 teams) |
|---|
Northern region (20 teams):
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Rosenborg BK @ Nor 35.400 Lillestrøm SK Nor 7.400 Manchester City * Eng 30.996 Stabæk IF Nor 7.400 Aston Villa @ Eng 24.996 FC Midtjylland * Den 6.748 Stade Rennais @ Fra 24.380 FC Nordsjælland * Den 6.748 FC København * Den 23.748 Djurgårdens IF * Swe 6.518 Brøndby IF * Den 18.748 Kalmar FF * Swe 4.518 Viking Stavanger * Nor 12.400 Haka Valkeakoski * Fin 3.176 Queen of the South Sco 11.013 Honka Espoo * Fin 3.176 AA Gent Bel 8.810 FH Hafnarfjardar * Isl 2.980 IF Elfsborg @ Swe 8.518 St. Patrick's Athletic * Irl 2.420 Central-East region (22 teams): Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- VfB Stuttgart @ Ger 52.078 Young Boys Sui 7.993 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Ukr 31.932 AC Bellinzona * Sui 7.993 Austria Wien * Aut 31.840 Lech Poznan * Pol 6.973 Hertha BSC * Ger 27.078 Sturm Graz @ Aut 5.840 FC Zürich Sui 16.993 Legia Warsaw * Pol 4.973 Grasshoppers Zürich @ Sui 16.993 MSK Zilina * Svk 4.070 Slovan Liberec Cze 16.496 ETO Györ * Hun 3.960 FK Moscow Rus 14.437 IB Ljubljana * Slo 3.272 FC Vaslui @ Rom 13.398 Metalurgs Liepaja * Lat 2.915 DVSC Debrecen * Hun 10.960 Suduva Marijampole * Lit 2.640 FC Salzburg * Aut 10.840 Georgia Tbilisi * Geo 1.925 Southern-Mediterranean region (22 teams): Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Deportivo La Coruña @ Esp 46.837 Hajduk Split * Cro 6.836 Besiktas Tur 40.469 Vojvodina Novi Sad * Srb 5.527 Sporting Braga @ Por 33.176 Borac Cacak * Srb 5.527 AEK Athens Gre 31.525 Maccabi Netanya Isr 5.197 Hapoel Tel-Aviv * Isr 21.197 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona * Isr 5.197 Napoli @ Ita 19.934 Slaven Koprivnica * Cro 3.836 Aris Thessaloniki Gre 19.525 APOEL Nicosia * Cyp 3.327 Litex Lovech Bul 18.644 Omonia Nicosia * Cyp 3.327 Red Star Belgrade Srb 18.527 Zrinjski Mostar * Bos 2.805 Lokomotiv Sofia Bul 11.644 Siroki Brijeg * Bos 2.805 Cherno More Varna * Bul 7.644 Vllaznia Shkodër * Alb 1.210 |
For the draw of the 1st round the 80 teams will be divided into 8 groups of 10 teams. Each group consists of 5 seeded and 5 unseeded teams. The exact method of the distribution of teams over the groups is unknown, but some characteristics can be found in the draws of previous years. The process appears to start with the following initial distribution of clubs (1-80 based on ranking) over the 8 groups:
pos G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 3 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 4 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 5 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 6 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 7 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 8 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 57 9 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 10 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 73Changes are applied with the following rules in mind:
When changes are required for one or two groups they are usually applied by swapping teams at the same row. For a single group the swap is usually done with a team on the same row with a lower coefficient (if possible). These rules cannot explain all changes made by UEFA.
| Round 1 (80 teams) |
|---|
Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- AC Milan Ita 119.934 Borussia Dortmund Ger 21.078 Sevilla Esp 102.837 Napoli @ Ita 19.934 Valencia Esp 83.837 Brøndby IF * Den 18.748 Benfica Por 77.176 Litex Lovech ** Bul 18.644 Schalke 04 *** Ger 67.078 Vitória Guimarães *** Por 18.176 CSKA Moscow Rus 59.437 Dinamo Zagreb *** Cro 17.836 Tottenham Hotspur Eng 55.996 AS Saint-Étienne Fra 17.380 Hamburger SV Ger 52.078 FC Zürich ** Sui 16.993 VfB Stuttgart @ Ger 52.078 VfL Wolfsburg Ger 16.078 Ajax Ned 51.610 Wisla Kraków *** Pol 15.973 Olympiakos Piraeus *** Gre 51.525 Maritimo Funchal Por 15.176 Deportivo La Coruña @ Esp 46.837 Vitória Setúbal Por 15.176 Everton Eng 43.996 Standard Liège *** Bel 14.810 Club Brugge Bel 41.810 FC Twente Enschede *** Ned 14.610 Rapid Bucuresti Rom 41.398 FK Moscow ** Rus 14.437 Besiktas ** Tur 40.469 Petrzalka Bratislava *** Svk 14.070 Spartak Moscow *** Rus 40.437 Unirea Urziceni Rom 13.398 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 37.380 FC Timisoara Rom 13.398 Sparta Praha *** Cze 36.496 FC Vaslui @ Rom 13.398 Dinamo Bucuresti Rom 36.398 NEC Nijmegen Ned 12.610 Heerenveen Ned 35.610 SK Brann Bergen *** Nor 12.400 Rosenborg BK @ Nor 35.400 Baník Ostrava Cze 11.496 Udinese Ita 34.934 Kayserispor Tur 11.469 Feyenoord Ned 33.610 Motherwell Sco 11.013 Sporting Braga @ Por 33.176 Metalist Kharkiv Ukr 10.932 Levski Sofia *** Bul 32.644 FC Salzburg * Aut 10.840 Austria Wien * Aut 31.840 Young Boys ** Sui 7.993 Slavia Praha *** Cze 31.496 AC Bellinzona * Sui 7.993 Manchester City * Eng 30.996 Cherno More Varna * Bul 7.644 Galatasaray *** Tur 30.469 Lech Poznan * Pol 6.973 Sampdoria Ita 28.934 FC Nordsjælland * Den 6.748 Hertha BSC * Ger 27.078 Borac Cacak * Srb 5.527 Partizan Belgrade *** Srb 25.527 Kalmar FF * Swe 4.518 AS Nancy Lorraine Fra 25.380 MSK Zilina * Svk 4.070 Portsmouth FC Eng 24.996 Slaven Koprivnica * Cro 3.836 Aston Villa @ Eng 24.996 APOEL Nicosia * Cyp 3.327 Racing Santander Esp 24.837 Omonia Nicosia * Cyp 3.327 Stade Rennais @ Fra 24.380 Honka Espoo * Fin 3.176 FC København * Den 23.748 FBK Kaunas *** Lit 2.640 Hapoel Tel-Aviv * Isr 21.197 St. Patrick's Athletic * Irl 2.420 |
Once the first round has been completed, the 40 remaining clubs are drawn into 8 groups of 5 teams in accordance with the seeding principles, based on the UEFA list of club coefficients. The 40 teams will be allocated to five pots. Pot 1 will comprise the top eight clubs in the club coefficient rankings, Pot 2 the following eight clubs in the rankings, and so on for pots 3, 4 and 5. Clubs from the same association will not be drawn into the same group.
When the draw concludes and there are 8 groups of 5 teams, a computer draw will take place to determine the fixture schedule with factors such as stadium clashes and climatic conditions (it is not possible to play in some northern countries in mid-December) taken into account. Each club plays home and away alternately in its group. The following match sequence applies:
1st match day: D v B C not playing
E v A
2nd match day: B v E A not playing
C v D
3rd match day: A v B D not playing
E v C
4th match day: C v A B not playing
D v E
5th match day: A v D E not playing
B v C
From draws of previous years it can be found that UEFA favors a scheme
where a team plays at home against the next lower ranked team, and (as a
consequence) plays away against the next higher ranked team.
| Group stage (40 teams) |
|---|
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- AC Milan Ita 119.934 VfB Stuttgart @ Ger 52.078 Sevilla Esp 102.837 Ajax Ned 51.610 Valencia Esp 83.837 Olympiakos Piraeus *** Gre 51.525 Benfica Por 77.176 Deportivo La Coruña @ Esp 46.837 Schalke 04 *** Ger 67.078 Club Brugge Bel 41.810 CSKA Moscow Rus 59.437 Spartak Moscow *** Rus 40.437 Tottenham Hotspur Eng 55.996 Paris Saint-Germain Fra 37.380 Hamburger SV Ger 52.078 Heerenveen Ned 35.610 Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- ------- Rosenborg BK @ Nor 35.400 Hertha BSC * Ger 27.078 Udinese Ita 34.934 Partizan Belgrade *** Srb 25.527 Feyenoord Ned 33.610 AS Nancy Lorraine Fra 25.380 Sporting Braga @ Por 33.176 Portsmouth FC Eng 24.996 Slavia Praha *** Cze 31.496 Aston Villa @ Eng 24.996 Manchester City * Eng 30.996 Racing Santander Esp 24.837 Galatasaray *** Tur 30.469 FC København * Den 23.748 Sampdoria Ita 28.934 Dinamo Zagreb *** Cro 17.836 Pot 5 coef. ------------------------ --- ------- AS Saint-Étienne Fra 17.380 VfL Wolfsburg Ger 16.078 Standard Liège *** Bel 14.810 FC Twente Enschede *** Ned 14.610 NEC Nijmegen Ned 12.610 Metalist Kharkiv Ukr 10.932 Lech Poznan * Pol 6.973 MSK Zilina * Svk 4.070 |
The 24 clubs qualified from the group stage will be joined by the eight clubs that finish the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in third position. The round of 32 pairings are determined by means of a draw according to the following principles:
| Round 3 (32 teams) |
|---|
1st in UC group 3rd in UC group ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- Manchester City * Eng Paris Saint-Germain Fra Metalist Kharkiv Ukr Olympiakos Piraeus *** Gre Standard Liège *** Bel Sampdoria Ita Udinese Ita NEC Nijmegen Ned VfL Wolfsburg Ger Sporting Braga @ Por Hamburger SV Ger Aston Villa @ Eng AS Saint-Étienne Fra FC København * Den CSKA Moscow Rus Lech Poznan * Pol 2nd in UC group 3rd in CL group ------------------------ --- ------------------------ --- FC Twente Enschede *** Ned Girondins Bordeaux # Fra Galatasaray *** Tur Werder Bremen # Ger VfB Stuttgart @ Ger Shakhtar Donetsk # Ukr Tottenham Hotspur Eng Olympique Marseille # Fra AC Milan Ita AaB Aalborg # Den Ajax Ned Fiorentina # Ita Valencia Esp Dinamo Kiev # Ukr Deportivo La Coruña @ Esp Zenit St. Petersburg # Rus |
For the draw of the 4th round, quarter-finals and semi-finals no clubs will be seeded.
KEY: * = team started in 1st qualification round ** = team started in 2nd qualification round *** = team eliminated in 3rd qualification round Champions League @ = qualified through Intertoto Cup # = qualified for round 3 from group stage of the Champions League