The Champions League proper does not begin until September. Before that, forty clubs fight through qualifying rounds to earn their place in the group stage. For some of them, Tuesday and Wednesday are the biggest matches of their year.
The third qualifying round first legs run on 4 and 5 August. Ten ties across two separate paths, each with different entry requirements. The second legs are 11 August. Get through, and you are one round from the league phase. Lose, and the season changes shape immediately.
The Format
The third qualifying round sits two rounds from the league phase. Winners here progress to the play-off round (first legs 18/19 August, second legs 25/26 August). Lose, and most clubs drop into the Europa League or Conference League qualifying. The league phase draw takes place on 27 August.
Two paths run in parallel: the League Path (for clubs who won or finished high in their domestic leagues) and the Champions Path (for champions of smaller leagues who entered qualifying earlier and have survived to this stage).
League Path: The Four Headline Ties
Lyon vs Sparta Praha
Lyon are the highest-profile club in the qualifying rounds this summer. The French club, one of the most decorated in the history of the competition, are in Prague on Tuesday for the first leg at the Generali Arena, with the return at home the following week.
Sparta Praha have been building themselves into a consistent European force. Playing at home in the first leg suits them. Lyon will need to manage the occasion carefully.
This is the tie that draws the most attention of the four.
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Bodø/Glimt
Fox Sports described this as a “clash of overachievers” when the draw was made, and the description holds. Union Saint-Gilloise from Belgium and Bodø/Glimt from Norway are two of the most impressive clubs in European football for the size of their budgets and the quality of their results.
Both have punched above their weight in European competition for several seasons. Both are well-organised, tactically coherent, and hard to beat. Bodø/Glimt travel to Brussels for the first leg.
If you want a tie that tells you something about modern European football beyond the traditional powers, this is the one to watch.
Olympiacos vs NEC Nijmegen
Greek giants against Dutch mid-table. Olympiacos, playing at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, carry the weight of expectation at home. NEC Nijmegen are in unfamiliar territory at this level.
The tie looks straightforward on paper, but qualifying football has a way of delivering surprises.
Fenerbahce vs Sturm Graz
Fenerbahce are through after beating Gornik Zabrze 2-1 on aggregate. Sturm Graz beat Heart of Midlothian 6-0 on aggregate, which is a different kind of statement. The Austrian side arrive with momentum.
First leg is on Wednesday 5 August.
Champions Path: The Story of Aarhus
Six ties make up the Champions Path, featuring clubs from smaller leagues who entered at the very beginning of qualifying and have survived to this stage.
The standout story belongs to Aarhus GF.
The Danish club lost their second qualifying round first leg 1-4 at home to Lech Poznan. Most clubs at that point accept their European exit. Aarhus went to Poland, won 4-1, and then beat Lech on penalties. The Eastern Herald described it as one of the biggest upsets of the summer qualifying rounds.
They now face Sabah FC of Azerbaijan in the third round. Aarhus are still alive in the Champions League.
Red Star Belgrade are also in the Champions Path, against Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Red Star beat Larne 4-0 in the first leg of their previous tie and cruised through. They are one of the biggest clubs left in the Champions Path.
The Red Star vs Hapoel match takes place at a neutral venue in Hungary: UEFA has suspended home matches for Israeli clubs, so Be’er Sheva cannot host in Israel.
Other Champions Path ties: Dinamo Zagreb vs Kauno Zalgiris (Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb); Mjallby AIF vs Slovan Bratislava (Sweden); Levski Sofia vs Kairat Almaty (Sofia); Ararat-Armenia vs NK Celje (Yerevan).
What the Results Will Mean
Eight clubs win through in these ten ties. Eight clubs go to the play-off round and stay in the Champions League. The other ten drop into the Europa League or Conference League qualifying, or exit Europe entirely.
For Lyon, this is about getting back to where they expect to be. For Bodø/Glimt and Union SG, it is about proving the story of the past few seasons was not a coincidence. For Aarhus, it is about finding out how far a comeback can take you.
Second legs are 11 August. The league phase draw follows on 27 August.
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