2016–17 UEFA Champions League qualifying was the preliminary phase of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification consisted of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It began on 28 June and ended on 24 August 2016. A total of 56 teams competed in the qualifying phase and play-off round to decide 10 of the 32 places in the group stage.
All times are CEST (UTC+2).
Round and draw dates The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
RoundDraw date and timeFirst legSecond legFirst qualifying round20 June 2016, 12:0028–29 June 20165–6 July 2016Second qualifying round12–13 July 201619–20 July 2016Third qualifying round15 July 2016, 12:0026–27 July 20162–3 August 2016Play-off round5 August 2016, 12:0016–17 August 201623–24 August 2016
Format In the qualifying phase and play-off round, each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule would be applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals were also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time would be played, divided into two 15-minute halves. The away goals rule would be again applied after extra time, i.e., if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team advanced by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie would be decided by penalty shoot-out.
In the draws for each round, teams were seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots. A seeded team was drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. Due to the limited time between matches, the draws for the second and third qualifying rounds took place before the results of the previous round were known. For these draws (or in any cases where the result of a tie in the previous round was not known at the time of the draw), the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to this round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its defeated opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they are purely for convenience of the draw and for ensuring that teams from the same association are not drawn against each other, and do not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition.
Teams There were two routes which the teams were separated into during qualifying: Champions Route, which included all domestic champions which do not qualify directly for the group stage. League Route (also called the Non-champions Path or the Best-placed Path), which included all domestic non-champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage.
A total of 56 teams (41 in Champions Route, 15 in League Route) were involved in the qualifying phase and play-off round. The 10 winners of the play-off round (5 in Champions Route, 5 in League Route) advanced to the group stage to join the 22 teams which enter in the group stage. The 15 losers of the third qualifying round entered the Europa League play-off round, and the 10 losers of the play-off round enter the Europa League group stage.
Below are the participating teams (with their 2016 UEFA club coefficients), grouped by their starting rounds.
Key to coloursWinners of the play-off round advance to the group stageLosers of the play-off round enter the Europa League group stageLosers of the third qualifying round enter the Europa League play-off round
Champions Route +Third qualifying roundTeam Olympiacos70.940 Viktoria Plzeň44.585 Astra Giurgiu11.076+Second qualifying roundTeam Red Bull Salzburg42.520 Celtic40.460 APOEL35.935 BATE Borisov34.000 Legia Warsaw28.000 Dinamo Zagreb25.775 Ludogorets Razgrad25.625 Copenhagen24.720 Qarabağ13.475 Rosenborg12.850 Astana12.575 Sheriff Tiraspol10.575 Red Star Belgrade7.175 Dinamo Tbilisi5.875 FH5.750 Trenčín5.400 F91 Dudelange5.050 Žalgiris4.925 Hapoel Be'er Sheva4.725 Olimpija Ljubljana4.625 Vardar4.200 IFK Norrköping3.975 Ferencváros3.475 Crusaders3.400 Zrinjski Mostar3.175 Dundalk2.590 Mladost Podgorica2.475 SJK1.730 Partizani1.575 Liepāja1.075+First qualifying roundTeam The New Saints5.200 Valletta4.466 Flora3.350 FC Santa Coloma2.699 B361.975 Lincoln Red Imps1.700 Alashkert1.325 Tre Penne1.316
Notes
League Route +Play-off roundTeam Manchester City99.256 Porto92.616 Villarreal60.142 Borussia Mönchengladbach42.035 Roma41.587+Third qualifying roundTeam Shakhtar Donetsk81.976 Ajax58.112 Anderlecht54.000 Fenerbahçe40.920 Sparta Prague40.585 PAOK37.440 Steaua București36.576 Monaco36.549 Young Boys24.755 Rostov11.716
First qualifying round
Seeding A total of eight teams played in the first qualifying round. The draw was held on 20 June 2016.
SeededUnseeded The New Saints Valletta Flora FC Santa Coloma B36 Lincoln Red Imps Alashkert Tre Penne
Summary The first legs were played on 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 and 6 July 2016.
Matches
Lincoln Red Imps won 3–2 on aggregate.
The New Saints won 5–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Valletta won on away goals.
Alashkert won 3–0 on aggregate.
Second qualifying round
Seeding A total of 34 teams played in the second qualifying round: 30 teams which entered in this round, and the four winners of the first qualifying round. The draw was held on 20 June 2016.
Group 1Group 2Group 3SeededUnseededSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Red Bull Salzburg Dinamo Zagreb Qarabağ Sheriff Tiraspol Trenčín F91 Dudelange Hapoel Be'er Sheva Olimpija Ljubljana Vardar Liepāja APOEL Legia Warsaw Ludogorets Razgrad Astana Skënderbeu Dinamo Tbilisi The New Saints Žalgiris Ferencváros Zrinjski Mostar Alashkert Mladost Podgorica Celtic BATE Borisov Copenhagen Rosenborg Red Star Belgrade FH Lincoln Red Imps IFK Norrköping Crusaders Valletta Dundalk SJK
Notes
Summary The first legs were played on 12 and 13 July, and the second legs were played on 19 and 20 July 2016.
Matches
Qarabağ won 3–1 on aggregate.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 3–2 on aggregate.
6–6 on aggregate; Trenčín won on away goals.
Red Bull Salzburg won 3–0 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 5–3 on aggregate.
APOEL won 3–0 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 3–1 on aggregate.
Ludogorets Razgrad won 5–0 on aggregate.
Dinamo Tbilisi won 3–1 on aggregate.
Astana won 2–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Partizani won 3–1 on penalties.
BATE Borisov won 4–2 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 4–2 on aggregate.
Rosenborg won 5–4 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Dundalk won on away goals.
Celtic won 3–1 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 9–0 on aggregate.
Third qualifying round
Seeding The third qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections entered the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
A total of 30 teams played in the third qualifying round: Champions Route: three teams which enter in this round, and the 17 winners of the second qualifying round. League Route: ten teams which enter in this round.
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2016.
Champions RouteLeague RouteGroup 1Group 2SeededUnseededSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Olympiacos Celtic APOEL Legia Warsaw Dinamo Zagreb Rosenborg Astana Hapoel Be'er Sheva Dinamo Tbilisi Trenčín Viktoria Plzeň Red Bull Salzburg BATE Borisov Ludogorets Razgrad Copenhagen Qarabağ Astra Giurgiu Red Star Belgrade Dundalk Partizani Shakhtar Donetsk Ajax Anderlecht Fenerbahçe Sparta Prague PAOK Steaua București Monaco Young Boys Rostov
Notes
Summary The first legs were played on 26 and 27 July, and the second legs were played on 2 and 3 August 2016.
Champions Route matches
APOEL won 4–2 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 3–0 on aggregate.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 1–0 on aggregate.
Celtic won 3–2 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 1–0 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate; Viktoria Plzeň won on away goals.
Copenhagen won 4–1 on aggregate.
Dundalk won 3–1 on aggregate.
Ludogorets Razgrad won 6–4 on aggregate.
Red Bull Salzburg won 3–0 on aggregate.
League Route matches
Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.
Steaua București won 3–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Young Boys won 4–2 on penalties.
Rostov won 4–2 on aggregate.
Monaco won 4–3 on aggregate.
Play-off round
Seeding The play-off round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections entered the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
A total of 20 teams played in the play-off round: Champions Route: the ten Champions Route winners of the third qualifying round. League Route: five teams which entered in this round, and the five League Route winners of the third qualifying round.
The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2016.
Champions RouteLeague RouteSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Viktoria Plzeň Red Bull Salzburg Celtic APOEL Legia Warsaw Dinamo Zagreb Ludogorets Razgrad Copenhagen Hapoel Be'er Sheva Dundalk Manchester City Porto Villarreal Ajax Borussia Mönchengladbach Roma Steaua București Monaco Young Boys Rostov
Summary The first legs were played on 16 and 17 August, and the second legs were played on 23 and 24 August 2016.
Champions Route matches
Ludogorets Razgrad won 4–2 on aggregate.
Celtic won 5–4 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 2–1 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 3–2 on aggregate.
League Route matches
Manchester City won 6–0 on aggregate.
Porto won 4–1 on aggregate.
Rostov won 5–2 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 9–2 on aggregate.
Monaco won 3–1 on aggregate.
Statistics There were 239 goals scored in 92 matches in the qualifying phase and play-off round, for an average of goals per match.
Top goalscorers RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played1 Andreas Cornelius Copenhagen5434 Nemanja Nikolić Legia Warsaw5458 David McMillan Dundalk5486 Leigh Griffiths Celtic55075 Raffael Borussia Mönchengladbach4180 Davy Klaassen Ajax4360 Wanderson Ludogorets Razgrad4530
Source:
Top assists RankPlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played1 Marcelinho Ludogorets Razgrad4537 Ludwig Augustinsson Copenhagen45403 Raffael Borussia Mönchengladbach3180
Source:
Notes
References
External links 2016–17 UEFA Champions League