Champions League Qualifying: The Second Round So Far

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Roundup: Where Every Tie Stands

The second qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League got underway this week, with 22 teams across the Champions Path taking to the pitch in pursuit of one of the seven remaining spots in the newly expanded league phase. First legs are done, second legs follow on Tuesday and Wednesday, and several ties are already shaping up to be decided by the finest of margins.

How Qualifying Works This Season

This season’s format sends 52 teams through the qualifying system, split between a 42-team Champions Path and a 10-team League Path, all chasing the seven places still available once the 29 automatic qualifiers are locked in. The second qualifying round itself drew 28 clubs and pairings — 24 in the Champions Path, four in the League Path — with first legs played in midweek and second legs following on July 28 and 29. Winners advance to the third qualifying round in early August, while every team eliminated at this stage still gets a second life, parachuting down into Europa League or Conference League qualifying rather than being knocked out of continental competition entirely.Man United and Camavinga: A Tactical Fit Analysis

The Standout First Legs

Dinamo Zagreb’s trip to Switzerland produced one of the more dramatic results of the round. The Croatian champions fell behind to Brighton Labeau’s 20th-minute strike away to newly crowned Swiss champions FC Thun, in what was Dinamo’s landmark 400th match in UEFA club competition history. It took until the 86th minute for Miha Zajc to rescue a 1-1 draw, extending Dinamo’s remarkable unbeaten run beyond 20 matches and leaving the tie level heading into the second leg at Maksimir.

Elsewhere, Serbian giants Crvena Zvezda were utterly dominant against Larne, finishing the match with 27 shots to the Northern Irish side’s solitary attempt — about as one-sided a statistical picture as this round produced, even if the eventual scoreline understated the gulf in quality on display. Austrian side Sturm Graz also made a statement with a 4-0 win, continuing their reputation as one of the Champions Path’s more reliable performers in recent seasons.

Not every tie went to the form book. Levski Sofia’s narrow 1-0 win over Universitatea, settled by an eighth-minute Dimitrov strike, leaves that tie delicately poised, while Egnatia and NK Celje served up the goal of the round in a wild 3-3 draw, with Kvesić scoring twice for Celje either side of goals for both sides that kept the match swinging until the closing stages.

Who Else Is Involved

The wider Champions Path draw includes several notable names entering at this stage as direct entrants, including Fenerbahçe, Sturm Graz, Hearts and Górnik Zabrze — all league runners-up from their respective domestic competitions rather than outright champions, reflecting the Champions Path’s specific eligibility rules for clubs that didn’t secure an automatic berth through winning their league outright. Further down the bracket, smaller-association champions like Mjällby AIF, Lincoln Red Imps and Inter Club d’Escaldes are also still alive in the competition, each hoping to be the surprise package that goes furthest.

What’s Next

Every tie in this round will be settled by Wednesday, with winners advancing to a third qualifying round beginning August 4, where they’ll be joined by higher-seeded sides entering the competition for the first time, including Lyon, Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos, Union SG, Sparta Praha and NEC. From there, the playoff round in late August determines the final seven names to join the 29 automatic qualifiers in the league phase, with the full 36-team draw taking place on August 27.

The Bottom Line

With several ties still level or separated by a single goal heading into the return legs, this round is shaping up to be genuinely unpredictable. Dinamo Zagreb’s home advantage at Maksimir makes them favorites to see off Thun, but a Swiss side that’s already defied expectations once this season by winning their first-ever Super League title has shown no sign of being intimidated by reputation. Expect goals, and expect at least one more shock before this round of qualifying wraps up.

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