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

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

A total of 178 teams competed in the qualifying system of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, which includes the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 35 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) advanced 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 edit

Champions Path edit

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
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[3]
  Dinamo Zagreb[Q3] 33.500
  Ludogorets Razgrad[Q2 Bye] 26.000
  Young Boys[Q3] 25.500
  Red Star Belgrade[Q3] 22.750
  Qarabağ[Q3] 21.000
  Dynamo Brest[Q3] 3.775
  Tirana[Q2 Bye] 1.475
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
  Celtic[Q2] 34.000
  Legia Warsaw[Q2] 17.000
  Sheriff Tiraspol[Q2] 12.750
  CFR Cluj[Q2] 12.500
  Sūduva[Q2] 6.750
  Sarajevo[Q2] 4.750
  [Q2] 2.750
  Celje[Q2] 2.600
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
  Astana[Q1] 29.000
  Dundalk[Q1] 8.500
  Slovan Bratislava[Q1] 7.000
  Dinamo Tbilisi[Q1] 4.750
  Fola Esch[Q1] 4.750
  Djurgårdens IF[Q1] 4.550
  Linfield[Q1] 4.250
  Budućnost Podgorica[Q1] 4.250
  Flora[Q1] 4.000
  Riga[Q1] 3.500
  Connah's Quay Nomads[Q1] 3.250
  Europa[Q1] 2.750
  Ararat-Armenia[Q1] 2.500
  KuPS[Q1] 2.500
  KR[Q1] 2.500
  Tre Fiori[PR SF] 1.500
  Drita[PR F] 1.500
  Sileks[Q1] 1.475
  Floriana[Q1] 1.150
  Inter Club d'Escaldes[PR SF] 0.566
Notes
  1. Q3 Losers of Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. Q2 Bye Losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by a draw held on 31 August 2020 after the Europa League second qualifying round draw,[4] which received a bye to the Europa League play-off round.
  3. Q2 Losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  4. Q1 Losers of Champions League first qualifying round.
  5. PR F Losers of Champions League preliminary round final.
  6. PR SF Losers of Champions League preliminary round semi-finals.

Main Path edit

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
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[3]
  Beşiktaş[CL] 54.000
  Sporting CP 50.000
  PSV Eindhoven 37.000
  Viktoria Plzeň[CL] 34.000
  AEK Athens 16.500
  LASK 14.000
  Rostov 12.000
  Rijeka 11.000
  Charleroi 7.580
  Desna Chernihiv 7.220
  Alanyaspor 6.720
  SønderjyskE 5.850
  Anorthosis 5.350
  St. Gallen 5.280
  Vojvodina 5.100
  Lokomotiva[CL] 4.975
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 20.456
  Milan 19.000
  Rangers 16.250
  Reims 11.849
  Rio Ave 9.889
  Dynamo Moscow 9.109
  Slovan Liberec 8.000
  Hajduk Split 7.500
  Kolos Kovalivka 7.220
  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
  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
Notes
  1. CL Losers of Champions League second qualifying round (League Path).

Format edit

In a change to the format as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, each tie is played as a single-legged match hosted by one of the teams decided by draw.[1][5] 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 eight 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 five losers of the Champions League third qualifying round are seeded; the remaining two losers of the Champions League second qualifying round and the nine 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, all qualifying matches are played behind closed doors.[6] The following special rules are applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs:[7]

  • Prior to each draw, UEFA 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 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 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.[8]

Schedule edit

The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[9] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[10] 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 edit

The draw for the preliminary round was held on 9 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[11]

Seeding edit

A total of 16 teams played in the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] The first team drawn in each tie were the home team. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.

Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded

Summary edit

The matches were played on 18, 20 and 21 August 2020. The match between Lincoln Red Imps and Prishtina on 18 August was postponed due to the whole Prishtina team being put into quarantine after eight players had tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus. The game was rescheduled to 22 August, with Prishtina using UEFA regulations to sign on emergency loan players from rival Kosovar Superleague clubs Feronikel, Llapi, Trepca '89, Flamurtar, Ballkani, Drenica and Vushtrria in order to fulfil the fixture.[12] However the rearranged fixture also had to be cancelled after 7 more players tested positive for coronavirus, and Lincoln Red Imps were awarded a technical 3–0 win by UEFA.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Tre Penne   1–3   Gjilani
Lincoln Red Imps   3–0
(awd.)[note 1]
  Prishtina
FC Santa Coloma   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)
  Iskra Danilovgrad
Engordany   1–3   Zeta
Glentoran   1–0   HB Tórshavn
St Joseph's   1–2   B36 Tórshavn
Coleraine   1–0   La Fiorita
NSÍ Runavík   5–1   Barry Town United

Matches edit

First qualifying round edit

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[18]

Seeding edit

A total of 94 teams played in the first qualifying round: 86 teams which entered in this round, and 8 winners of the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients from matches played through 8 August 2020.[3] For the winners of the preliminary round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team. Teams from the same association could not 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, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. 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 edit

Most matches were played on 25, 26 and 27 August 2020, however two matches were postponed to 9 and 10 September 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Maribor   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)
  Coleraine
Olimpija   2–1 (a.e.t.)   Víkingur Reykjavík
B36 Tórshavn   4–3 (a.e.t.)   FCI Levadia
Riteriai   3–2 (a.e.t.)   Derry City
Žalgiris   2–0   Paide Linnameeskond
Honvéd   2–1 (a.e.t.)   Inter Turku
Zrinjski Mostar   3–0   Differdange 03
Valletta   0–1   Bala Town
Lincoln Red Imps   2–0   Union Titus Pétange
Rosenborg   4–2   Breiðablik
Aberdeen   6–0   NSÍ Runavík
Motherwell   5–1   Glentoran
Hammarby IF   3–0   Puskás Akadémia
Malmö FF   2–0   Cracovia
Kukësi   2–1   Slavia Sofia
Ventspils   2–1   Dinamo-Auto
Shakhtyor Soligorsk   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(1–4 p)
  Sfântul Gheorghe
Dinamo Minsk   0–2   Piast Gliwice
AGF   5–2   Honka
Shamrock Rovers   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(12–11 p)
  Ilves
FH   0–2   DAC Dunajská Streda
The New Saints   3–1 (a.e.t.)   Žilina
Vaduz   0–2   Hibernians
Servette   3–0   Ružomberok
Neftçi   2–1   Shkupi
Keşla   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)
  Laçi
Hapoel Be'er Sheva   3–0   Dinamo Batumi
Nõmme Kalju   0–4   Mura
Bodø/Glimt   6–1   Kauno Žalgiris
Fehérvár   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
  Bohemians
Apollon Limassol   5–1   Saburtalo Tbilisi
Maccabi Haifa   3–1   Željezničar
Alashkert   0–1   Renova
Partizan   1–0   RFS
Lech Poznań   3–0   Valmiera
Ordabasy   1–2   Botoșani
FCSB   3–0   Shirak
Progrès Niederkorn   3–0   Zeta
CSKA Sofia   2–1   Sirens
Petrocub Hîncești   0–2   TSC Bačka Topola
Sumgayit   0–2   Shkëndija
Kairat   4–1   Noah
Locomotive Tbilisi   2–1   Universitatea Craiova
Teuta   2–0   Beitar Jerusalem
Borac Banja Luka   1–0   Sutjeska Nikšić
Iskra Danilovgrad   0–1   Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Gjilani   0–2 (a.e.t.)   APOEL

Matches edit

Second qualifying round edit

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[4]

Seeding edit

A total of 92 teams played in the second qualifying round. They were divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path was based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path was based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the two postponed first round matches, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. Numbers were pre-assigned for each team in the Main Path by UEFA, with the draw held in one run for all Groups 1–12 with six teams.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Losers of the Champions League first qualifying round.
  2. Losers of the Champions League preliminary round.
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winners of the first qualifying round.
  2. Winners of postponed first qualifying round matches, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.

Summary edit

The matches were played on 16, 17 and 18 September 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Champions Path
Inter Club d'Escaldes   0–1   Dundalk
KuPS   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
  Slovan Bratislava
Linfield   0–1   Floriana
Riga   1–0   Tre Fiori
Djurgårdens IF   2–1   Europa
Flora   2–1   KR
Sileks   0–2   Drita
Astana   0–1   Budućnost Podgorica
Ararat-Armenia   4–3 (a.e.t.)   Fola Esch
Connah's Quay Nomads   0–1   Dinamo Tbilisi
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Main Path
Hammarby IF   0–3   Lech Poznań
Kaisar   1–4   APOEL
Mura   3–0   AGF
Maccabi Haifa   2–1   Kairat
Locomotive Tbilisi   2–1   Dynamo Moscow
Neftçi   1–3   Galatasaray
B36 Tórshavn   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)
  The New Saints
Coleraine   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(0–3 p)
  Motherwell
IFK Göteborg   1–2   Copenhagen
TSC Bačka Topola   6–6 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 p)
  FCSB
Teuta   0–4   Granada
OFI   0–1   Apollon Limassol
Progrès Niederkorn   0–5   Willem II
Viking   0–2   Aberdeen
Standard Liège   2–0[A]   Bala Town
Sfântul Gheorghe   0–1 (a.e.t.)   Partizan
CSKA Sofia   2–0   BATE Borisov
Botoșani   0–1   Shkëndija
Lokomotiv Plovdiv   1–2   Tottenham Hotspur
Laçi   1–2   Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Aris   1–2   Kolos Kovalivka
Honvéd   0–2   Malmö FF
Ventspils   1–5   Rosenborg
Riteriai   1–5   Slovan Liberec
Lincoln Red Imps   0–5   Rangers
Servette   0–1   Reims
Borac Banja Luka   0–2   Rio Ave
Renova   0–1   Hajduk Split
Olimpija   2–3 (a.e.t.)   Zrinjski Mostar
Kukësi   0–4   VfL Wolfsburg
DAC Dunajská Streda   5–3 (a.e.t.)   Jablonec
Piast Gliwice   3–2   Hartberg
Osijek   1–2   Basel
Shamrock Rovers   0–2   Milan
Hibernians   0–1   Fehérvár
Bodø/Glimt   3–1   Žalgiris

Notes

  1. ^ Bala Town were drawn as the home team in the original draw, but the tie was switched to a home match of Standard Liège due to the inability of Bala Town to secure a suitable venue.[19]

Champions Path edit

Main Path edit

Third qualifying round edit

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 1 September 2020, 13:00 CEST.[20]

Seeding edit

A total of 70 teams played in the third qualifying round. They were divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path was based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path was based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the second qualifying round (Main Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. Numbers were pre-assigned for each team by UEFA, with the draw held in two runs, one for Groups 1–6 with six teams and one for Groups 7–8 with eight teams.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Losers of the Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. Winners of the second qualifying round (Champions Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw.
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winners of the second qualifying round (Main Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. Losers of the Champions League second qualifying round (League Path).

Summary edit

The matches were played on 23 and 24 September 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Champions Path
Tirana   Bye N/A
Ludogorets Razgrad   Bye N/A
Sarajevo   2–1   Budućnost Podgorica
Sheriff Tiraspol   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–5 p)
  Dundalk
Ararat-Armenia   1–0 (a.e.t.)   Celje
Riga   0–1   Celtic
KuPS   2–0   Sūduva
Legia Warsaw   2–0   Drita
  6–1   Dinamo Tbilisi
Djurgårdens IF   0–1   CFR Cluj
Floriana   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)
  Flora
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Main Path
Mura   1–5   PSV Eindhoven
Malmö FF   5–0   Lokomotiva
Sporting CP   1–0   Aberdeen
Charleroi   2–1 (a.e.t.)   Partizan
Rosenborg   1–0   Alanyaspor
VfL Wolfsburg   2–0   Desna Chernihiv
Fehérvár   0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–1 p)
  Reims
Granada   2–0   Locomotive Tbilisi
Rijeka   2–0 (a.e.t.)   Kolos Kovalivka
St. Gallen   0–1   AEK Athens
LASK   7–0   DAC Dunajská Streda
Milan   3–2   Bodø/Glimt
Shkëndija   1–3   Tottenham Hotspur
Standard Liège   2–1 (a.e.t.)   Vojvodina
Rostov   1–2   Maccabi Haifa
Willem II   0–4   Rangers
Apollon Limassol   0–5   Lech Poznań
Beşiktaş   1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)
  Rio Ave
FCSB   0–2   Slovan Liberec
Hapoel Be'er Sheva   3–0   Motherwell
Copenhagen   3–0   Piast Gliwice
Basel   3–2   Anorthosis
Galatasaray   2–0   Hajduk Split
Viktoria Plzeň   3–0   SønderjyskE
APOEL   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
  Zrinjski Mostar
CSKA Sofia   3–1   B36 Tórshavn

Champions Path edit

Main Path edit

Play-off round edit

The draw for the play-off round was held on 18 September 2020, 14:00 CEST.[21]

Seeding edit

A total of 42 teams played in the play-off round. They were divided into two paths:

Seeding of teams in the Champions Path was based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path was based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[3] For the winners of the third qualifying round (Main Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. Numbers were pre-assigned for each team by UEFA, with the draw held in two runs, one for Groups 1–3 with six teams and one for Group 4 with eight teams.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. Winners of the third qualifying round (Champions Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw.
  3. Bye Losers of the Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path) which received a bye to the Europa League play-off round.
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. Winners of the third qualifying round (Main Path), whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.

Summary edit

The matches were played on 1 October 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Champions Path
Young Boys   3–0   Tirana
Dinamo Zagreb   3–1   Flora
CFR Cluj   3–1   KuPS
Ararat-Armenia   1–2   Red Star Belgrade
Dynamo Brest   0–2   Ludogorets Razgrad
Sarajevo   0–1   Celtic
Legia Warsaw   0–3   Qarabağ
Dundalk   3–1  
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Main Path
Hapoel Be'er Sheva   1–0   Viktoria Plzeň
Basel   1–3   CSKA Sofia
Rio Ave   2–2 (a.e.t.)
(8–9 p)
  Milan
Rosenborg   0–2   PSV Eindhoven
Sporting CP   1–4   LASK
Copenhagen   0–1   Rijeka
AEK Athens   2–1   VfL Wolfsburg
Charleroi   1–2   Lech Poznań
Malmö FF   1–3   Granada
Tottenham Hotspur   7–2   Maccabi Haifa
Slovan Liberec   1–0   APOEL
Standard Liège   3–1   Fehérvár
Rangers   2–1   Galatasaray

Champions Path edit

Main Path edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The Lincoln Red Imps v Prishtina match, originally scheduled to be played on 18 August 2020, was postponed to 22 August 2020 due to several members from Prishtina's delegation testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole team being put into quarantine by the Gibraltarian authorities.[13] On 22 August, the match could not be played due to eight players from Prishtina testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole second team being put into quarantine by the Gibraltarian authorities.[14][15] Lincoln Red Imps were subsequently awarded a technical 3–0 victory by UEFA according to the regulations related to COVID-19.[16][17]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Updated UEFA competitions calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA Europa League, 2020/21". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "UEFA Europa League second qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 August 2020.
  5. ^ "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Venues for Round of 16 matches confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "UEFA meets with General Secretaries from its 55 member associations". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 August 2020.
  9. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Europa League match calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019.
  10. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Europa League: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020.
  11. ^ "UEFA Europa League preliminary round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2020.
  12. ^ Kosovo's Prishtina loan players from rivals for Europa League Match - ESPN, 21 August 2020
  13. ^ "La UEFA aplaza el partido clasificatorio entre el Lincoln Red Imps y el Prishtina" [UEFA calls off qualifying match between Lincoln Red Imps and Prishtina] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 August 2020.
  14. ^ "HM Government of Gibraltar notes the statement from FC Prishtina -565/2020". HM Government of Gibraltar. 22 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Prishtina's Europa League tie called off again after no-show". Reuters UK. 22 August 2020.
  16. ^ "CLUB STATEMENT - 24.08.2020". lincolnredimpsfc.co.uk. 24 August 2020.
  17. ^ "UEFA Appeals Body renders decision on UEL preliminary round match Lincoln Red Imps v FC Prishtina". UEFA. 24 August 2020.
  18. ^ "UEFA Europa League first qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Bala's clash with Standard Liege switched to an away tie". clwbpeldroed.org. 1 September 2020.
  20. ^ "UEFA Europa League third qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 September 2020.
  21. ^ "UEFA Europa League play-off round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 September 2020.

External links edit