The anticipation builds for the final step before the group stages as the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-off round draw was conducted on Monday, August 5, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draw, which took place at 12:00 CET, revealed the matchups scheduled for August 20/21 and 27/28, where teams will compete for a coveted spot in the main event of the prestigious tournament.
PUNCH Online obtained this information from an official release on the UCL website on Monday night, titled “UEFA Champions League play-off round draw.”
Here is the complete list of the draw:
– Young Boys Bern (SUI) vs. Galatasaray (TUR)
– Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs. Qarabag (AZE) or Ludogorets (BUL)
– Midtjylland (DEN) or Ferencvaros (HUN) vs. Slovan Bratislava (SVK) or APOEL Nicosia (CYP)
– Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) or Bodo/Glimt (NOR) vs. Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
– Malmo (SWE) or PAOK (GRE) vs. Sparta Prague (CZE) or Steaua Bucharest (ROU)
– Lille (FRA) or Fenerbahce (TUR) vs Slavia Prague (CZE) or Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
– Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) or Rangers (SCO) vs. RB Salzburg (AUT) or Twente (NED)
According to our correspondent, the UEFA Champions League play-off round draw adheres to specific procedures to ensure fairness. Teams compete in home and away matches in a knockout format.
An equal number of seeded and unseeded clubs are paired based on club coefficient rankings, with restrictions preventing certain teams from facing each other.
In the Champions Path, 10 teams were divided into five seeded and five unseeded categories. In the League Path, four teams were split into two seeded and two unseeded groups.
The draw determines the matchups and home teams for the first legs, with UEFA managing the schedule and kick-off times.
