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It may still be July, but the Champions League has already kicked off with its early qualifying rounds. With seven group stage places still to be decided, clubs from across Europe are battling to secure a ticket to the main draw of the continent’s most prestigious competition. Of these, five spots will be allocated via the Champions Path—reserved for league winners from lower-ranked UEFA nations—while two more will be determined through the League Path, for non-champions from higher-ranked leagues.
The first qualifying round is now complete, making way for the second round. Several notable clubs will enter the tournament later on: Benfica, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Fenerbahçe, and Nice will join in the third qualifying round, while Basel, Bodø/Glimt, Celtic, and Sturm Graz are set to begin from the playoff round.
First legs of the second round begin Tuesday, 22 July. Among the opening fixtures, Malmö—fresh from eliminating Saburtalo—take on Riga, while Hamrun Spartans of Malta, who advanced via a marathon penalty shootout against Žalgiris, will meet Dynamo Kyiv. Other notable fixtures include Red Star Belgrade vs Lincoln Red Imps and Slovan Bratislava vs Zrinjski Mostar.
The spotlight shifts to Wednesday's matchups, which feature higher-profile ties such as Red Bull Salzburg vs Brann, Viktoria Plzeň vs Servette, and Rangers vs Panathinaikos.
Fixtures – Champions Path:
- RFS-Malmö
- Hamrun-Dynamo Kiev
- Pafos-Maccabi Tel-Aviv
- Lincoln Red Imps-Stella Rossa
- Noah-Ferencvaros
- Lech Poznan-Breidablik
- Copenhagen-Drita
- Rijeka - Ludogorets
- Shkëndija-FCSB
- Slovan Bratislava-Zrinjski Mostar
- Shelbourne-Qarabag
- KuPS-Kairat Almaty
Fixtures – League Path:
- Brann-Saslisburgo
- Viktoria Plzen-Servette
- Rangers-Panathinaikos
