2020–21 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round

The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round will begin on 18 August and end on 1 October 2020.[1]

A total of 178 or 179 teams are expected to compete in the qualifying system of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, which includes the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 35 or 36 teams in Champions Path and 143 teams in Main Path. The 21 winners in the play-off round (8 from Champions Path, 13 from Main Path) advance to the group stage, to join the 18 teams that enter in the group stage, the 6 losers of the Champions League play-off round (4 from Champions Path, 2 from League Path), and the 3 League Path losers of the Champions League third qualifying round.[2]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Teams

The entry list for the qualifying phase and play-off round may change depending on the outcome of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League.

Champions Path

The Champions Path includes all league champions which are eliminated from the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Champions League, and consists of the following rounds:

Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2020 UEFA club coefficients),[3] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to group stage
Teams eliminated
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[3]
[Q3]
[Q3]
[Q3]
[Q3]
[Q3]
[Q3]
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
[Q2]
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Tre Fiori[PR SF] 1.500
Drita[PR F] 1.500
Inter Club d'Escaldes[PR SF] 0.566
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
[Q1]
Notes
  1. Q3 Losers of Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. Q2 Losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  3. Q1 Losers of Champions League first qualifying round.
  4. PR F Losers of Champions League preliminary round final.
  5. PR SF Losers of Champions League preliminary round semi-finals.

Main Path
Main article: 2020–21 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round (Main Path)

The Main Path includes all cup winners and league non-champions which do not qualify directly for the group stage, and consists of the following rounds:

  • Preliminary round (16 teams): 16 teams which enter in this round.
  • First qualifying round (94 teams): 86 teams which enter in this round, and 8 winners of the preliminary round.
  • Second qualifying round (72 teams): 25 teams which enter in this round, and 47 winners of the first qualifying round.
  • Third qualifying round (52 teams): 16 teams which enter in this round (including 3 League Path losers of the Champions League second qualifying round), and 36 winners of the second qualifying round.
  • Play-off round (26 teams): 26 winners of the third qualifying round.

Below are the participating teams of the Main Path (with their 2020 UEFA club coefficients),[3] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advance to group stage
Teams eliminated
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Sporting CP 50.000
PSV Eindhoven 37.000
AEK Athens 16.500
LASK 14.000
Rostov 12.000
Rijeka 11.000
Charleroi 7.580
Desna Chernihiv ≥7.180
Alanyaspor 6.720
SønderjyskE 5.850
Anorthosis Famagusta 5.350
St. Gallen 5.280
Vojvodina 5.100
[CL]
[CL]
[CL]
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
Tottenham Hotspur 85.000
Basel 58.500
Copenhagen 42.000
VfL Wolfsburg 36.000
BATE Borisov 24.000
Galatasaray 23.500
Standard Liège 20.500
Granada ≥20.285
Milan 19.000
Rangers 16.250
Reims ≥11.683
Rio Ave 9.889
Dynamo Moscow 9.109
Slovan Liberec 8.000
Hajduk Split 7.500
Kolos Kovalivka ≥7.180
Willem II 7.150
Jablonec 7.000
Hartberg 6.585
Aris 5.260
OFI 5.260
Osijek 4.975
IFK Göteborg 4.550
Viking 4.350
Kaisar 3.850
First qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
APOEL 27.500
Malmö FF 22.000
Partizan 22.000
FCSB 20.500
Maribor 14.000
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 14.000
Rosenborg 13.500
Apollon Limassol 12.500
Fehérvár 10.500
Shkëndija 7.250
The New Saints 7.000
Dinamo Minsk 7.000
Lech Poznań 7.000
Aberdeen 6.500
Zrinjski Mostar 6.250
Alashkert 6.000
Kairat 6.000
Žalgiris 6.000
AGF 5.850
Motherwell 5.575
Vaduz 5.500
Kukësi 5.500
Servette 5.280
Valletta 5.250
Ventspils 5.250
Olimpija 5.250
TSC Bačka Topola 5.100
Universitatea Craiova 5.000
Nõmme Kalju 5.000
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 4.750
Hammarby IF 4.550
FH 4.500
Bodø/Glimt 4.350
Progrès Niederkorn 4.250
Riteriai 4.250
CSKA Sofia 4.000
Sutjeska Nikšić 4.000
Honvéd 4.000
Maccabi Haifa 3.925
Beitar Jerusalem 3.925
Ordabasy 3.850
Neftçi 3.750
Shamrock Rovers 3.750
Keşla 3.750
Sumgayit 3.750
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv 3.475
Slavia Sofia 3.475
Botoșani 3.340
Piast Gliwice 3.325
Cracovia 3.325
FCI Levadia 3.250
Hibernians 3.250
DAC Dunajská Streda 3.175
Ružomberok 3.175
Žilina 3.175
Željezničar 3.000
Laçi 2.750
Mura 2.600
Puskás Akadémia 2.575
Saburtalo Tbilisi 2.000
Shkupi 2.000
Petrocub Hîncești 2.000
Differdange 03 1.600
Union Titus Pétange 1.600
Kauno Žalgiris 1.575
RFS 1.525
Shirak 1.525
Valmiera 1.525
Noah 1.525
Renova 1.475
Teuta 1.475
Borac Banja Luka 1.375
Sfântul Gheorghe 1.350
Dinamo-Auto 1.350
Derry City 1.340
Bohemians 1.340
Inter Turku 1.300
Ilves 1.300
Honka 1.300
Breiðablik 1.250
Bala Town 1.250
Dinamo Batumi 1.150
Sirens 1.150
Locomotive Tbilisi 1.150
Víkingur Reykjavík 1.075
Paide Linnameeskond 0.875
Preliminary round
Team Coeff.[3]
Lincoln Red Imps 5.250
FC Santa Coloma 4.500
B36 Tórshavn 3.750
La Fiorita 3.000
Tre Penne 2.250
NSÍ Runavík 2.250
HB Tórshavn 2.000
Engordany 2.000
St Joseph's 1.750
Prishtina 1.750
Zeta 1.250
Coleraine 1.250
Barry Town United 1.000
Glentoran 0.975
Iskra Danilovgrad 0.875
Gjilani 0.800

Format

In a change to the format as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, each tie will be played as a single-match hosted by one of the teams decided by draw, and will be played behind closed doors.[1][4] If scores are level at the end of normal time, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the scores remain tied.

In each draw of the Champions Path, teams (whose identity may not be known at the time of the draws) are divided into seeded and unseeded pots, which may contain different numbers of teams, based on the following principles:

  • In the second qualifying round draw, 17 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round are seeded, and the three losers of the Champions League preliminary round are unseeded.
  • In the third qualifying round draw, the ten losers of the Champions League second qualifying round are seeded and the ten winners of the second qualifying round are unseeded.
  • In the play-off round draw, the six losers of the Champions League third qualifying round are seeded, and the ten winners of the third qualifying round are unseeded.

In the beginning of the draws, a seeded team is drawn against an unseeded team until one of the pots is empty. Afterwards, the remaining teams from the non-empty pot are drawn against each other. For each tie, a draw is made between the two teams, and the first team drawn is the home team.

In each draw of the Main Path, teams are seeded based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients. For any team whose club coefficients are not final at the time of a draw, their club coefficients at that time, taking into account of all 2019–20 UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches played up to that point, are used (Regulations Article 13.03). Teams are divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams, and a seeded team is drawn against an unseeded team. For each tie, a draw is made between the two teams, and the first team drawn is the home team. If the identity of the winners of the previous round is not known at the time of the draws, the seeding is carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advances to this round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient is to advance, it simply takes the seeding of its opponent. Teams from the same association or associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA may not be drawn into the same tie. Prior to the draws, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee and based on geographical, logistical and political reasons, and they are purely for convenience of the draw and do not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the following special rules are applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs:[5]

  • Prior to each draw, UEFA will publish the list of known travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All teams must inform UEFA if there are other existing restrictions other than those published. If a team fails to do so which as a consequence the match cannot take place, the team is considered responsible and to have forfeited the match.
  • If travel restrictions imposed by the home team's country prevent the away team from entering, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise they are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • If travel restrictions imposed by the away team's country prevent the away team from leaving or returning, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise UEFA will decide on a venue.
  • If after the draw, new restrictions imposed by either the home team's or away team's country prevent the match from taking place, the team of that country are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • If either team refuses to play the match, they are considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refuse to play or are responsible for a match not taking place, both teams are disqualified.
  • If a team has players and/or officials tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • In all cases, the two teams may agree to play the match at the away team's country or at a neutral country, subject to UEFA's approval. UEFA has the final authority to decide on a venue for any match, or to reschedule any match if necessary.
  • If, for any reason, the qualifying phase and play-offs cannot be completed before the deadline set by UEFA, UEFA will decide on the principles for determining the teams qualified for the group stage.

Four countries (Poland, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus) have provided neutral venue hubs which allow matches to be played at their stadiums without restrictions.[6]

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[7] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[8] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[1]

Round Draw date Match date
Preliminary round 9 August 2020 20 August 2020
First qualifying round 10 August 2020 27 August 2020
Second qualifying round 31 August 2020 17 September 2020
Third qualifying round 1 September 2020 24 September 2020
Play-off round 18 September 2020 1 October 2020

The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).

Original schedule
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Preliminary round 9 June 2020 25 June 2020 2 July 2020
First qualifying round 16 June 2020 9 July 2020 16 July 2020
Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 23 July 2020 30 July 2020
Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 6 August 2020 13 August 2020
Play-off round 3 August 2020 20 August 2020 27 August 2020

Preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round was held on 9 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[9]

Seeding

A total of 16 teams will play in the preliminary round. Seeding of teams is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded

Summary

The matches will be played on 18 and 20 August 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Tre Penne 20 Aug (1) Gjilani
Lincoln Red Imps 18 Aug (2) Prishtina
FC Santa Coloma 20 Aug (3) Iskra Danilovgrad
Engordany 18 Aug (4) Zeta
Glentoran 20 Aug (5) HB Tórshavn
St Joseph's 20 Aug (6) B36 Tórshavn
Coleraine 20 Aug (7) La Fiorita
NSÍ Runavík 20 Aug (8) Barry Town United

Matches
Main article: 2020–21 UEFA Europa League preliminary round matches

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[10]

Seeding

A total of 94 teams will play in the first qualifying round: 86 teams which enter in this round, and 8 winners of the preliminary round. Seeding of teams is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients from matches played through 8 August 2020.[3] For the winners of the preliminary round (whose identity is not known at the time of draw), the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie is used. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. Numbers were pre-assigned for each team by UEFA, with the draw held in two runs, one for Groups 1–13 with six teams and one for Groups 14–15 with eight teams.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Winners of the preliminary round. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. ‡ Club coefficients from matches played through 8 August 2020 (AGF: 5.800, Servette: 5.240) were used for the first qualifying round draw, as their 2020 club coefficients were not final at the time of the first qualifying round draw (Regulations Article 13.03).[2]

Summary

The matches will be played on 25, 26 and 27 August 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Maribor 27 Aug (1) Winners of match 7
Olimpija 27 Aug (2) Víkingur Reykjavík
Winners of match 6 27 Aug (3) FCI Levadia
Riteriai 25 Aug (4) Derry City
Žalgiris 27 Aug (5) Paide Linnameeskond
Honvéd 27 Aug (6) Inter Turku
Zrinjski Mostar 27 Aug (7) Differdange 03
Valletta 27 Aug (8) Bala Town
Winners of match 2 27 Aug (9) Union Titus Pétange
Rosenborg 27 Aug (10) Breiðablik
Aberdeen 27 Aug (11) Winners of match 8
Motherwell 27 Aug (12) Winners of match 5
Hammarby IF 27 Aug (13) Puskás Akadémia
Malmö FF 27 Aug (14) Cracovia
Kukësi 27 Aug (15) Slavia Sofia
Ventspils 27 Aug (16) Dinamo-Auto
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 27 Aug (17) Sfântul Gheorghe
Dinamo Minsk 27 Aug (18) Piast Gliwice
AGF 27 Aug (19) Honka
Shamrock Rovers 27 Aug (20) Ilves
FH 27 Aug (21) DAC Dunajská Streda
The New Saints 27 Aug (22) Žilina
Vaduz 27 Aug (23) Hibernians
Servette 27 Aug (24) Ružomberok
Neftçi 27 Aug (25) Shkupi
Keşla 27 Aug (26) Laçi
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 27 Aug (27) Dinamo Batumi
Nõmme Kalju 27 Aug (28) Mura
Bodø/Glimt 27 Aug (29) Kauno Žalgiris
Fehérvár 27 Aug (30) Bohemians
Apollon Limassol 27 Aug (31) Saburtalo Tbilisi
Maccabi Haifa 27 Aug (32) Željezničar
Alashkert 27 Aug (33) Renova
Partizan 27 Aug (34) RFS
Lech Poznań 27 Aug (35) Valmiera
Ordabasy 27 Aug (36) Botoșani
FCSB 27 Aug (37) Shirak
Progrès Niederkorn 26 Aug (38) Winners of match 4
CSKA Sofia 27 Aug (39) Sirens
Petrocub Hîncești 27 Aug (40) TSC Bačka Topola
Sumgayit 27 Aug (41) Shkëndija
Kairat 27 Aug (42) Noah
Locomotive Tbilisi 27 Aug (43) Universitatea Craiova
Teuta 27 Aug (44) Beitar Jerusalem
Borac Banja Luka 27 Aug (45) Sutjeska Nikšić
Winners of match 3 27 Aug (46) Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Winners of match 1 27 Aug (47) APOEL

Matches
Main article: 2020–21 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round matches

Second qualifying round

Seeding

A total of 92 teams are expected to play in the second qualifying round. They are divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

Note: As the draw for the second qualifying round will be held after the matches of the first qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the first qualifying round.

Champions path

Main path

Third qualifying round

Seeding

A total of 70 or 72 teams are expected to play in the third qualifying round, depending on the results of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. They are divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the second qualifying round (whose identity is not known at the time of draw), the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie is used. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

Note: As the draw for the second qualifying round will be held after the matches of the first qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the first qualifying round.

Champions Path

  1. If Lyon do not win the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, due to "adaptive re-balancing", only 8 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path) will enter the third qualifying round (Champions Path), while the other two, determined by draw, will enter the play-off round (Champions Path).

Main Path

Play-off round

Seeding

A total of 42 teams are expected to play in the play-off round. They are divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the third qualifying round (whose identity is not known at the time of draw), the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie is used. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

Note: As the draw for the play-off round will be held after the matches of the second qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the second qualifying round.

Champions Path

  1. If Lyon do not win the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, due to "adaptive re-balancing", 5 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), which will be seeded, and 2 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by draw, and 9 winners of 2020–21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path), which will be unseeded, will enter the play-off round (Champions Path).

Main Path

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References
  1. "Updated UEFA competitions calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. "Regulations of the UEFA Europa League, 2020/21". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 August 2020.
  3. "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  5. "Annex I – Special rules applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs due to COVID-19" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 August 2020.
  6. "UEFA meets with General Secretaries from its 55 member associations". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 August 2020.
  7. "2020/21 UEFA Europa League match calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019.
  8. "2020/21 UEFA Europa League: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020.
  9. "UEFA Europa League preliminary round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2020.
  10. "UEFA Europa League first qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 August 2020.
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