2017–18 UEFA Champions League qualifying was the preliminary phase of the 2017–18 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 27 June and ended on 23 August 2017. A total of 57 teams competed in the qualifying phase and play-off round to decide 10 of the 32 places in the group stage.
All times were CEST (UTC+2).
Round and draw dates The schedule of the qualifying phase and play-off round was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).
Round Draw First leg Second leg First qualifying round 19 June 2017 27–28 June 2017 4–5 July 2017 Second qualifying round 11–12 July 2017 18–19 July 2017 Third qualifying round 14 July 2017 25–26 July 2017 1–2 August 2017 Play-off round 4 August 2017 15–16 August 2017 22–23 August 2017
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 was applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advanced. If away goals were also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time was played. The away goals rule was 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 was 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 were purely for convenience of the draw and for ensuring that teams from the same association (or associations with political conflicts) were not drawn against each other, and did 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 did 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 57 teams (42 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 entered 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 entered the Europa League group stage.
Below were the participating teams (with their 2017 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 Olympiacos64.580 Slavia Prague8.135 Viitorul Constanța5.870+Second qualifying roundTeam Celtic42.785 Red Bull Salzburg40.570 Copenhagen37.800 Ludogorets Razgrad34.175 BATE Borisov29.475 Legia Warsaw28.450 APOEL26.210 Maribor21.125 Qarabağ18.050 Malmö FF16.945 Astana16.800 Partizan16.075 Rijeka15.550 Rosenborg12.665 Sheriff Tiraspol11.150 Hapoel Be'er Sheva10.875 FH6.175 Žilina5.850 Žalgiris5.825 Dundalk5.815 Vardar5.125 F91 Dudelange4.975 Kukësi4.575 Zrinjski Mostar4.050 Budućnost Podgorica3.300 Honvéd2.900 Mariehamn2.030 Spartaks Jūrmala1.975 Samtredia1.525+First qualifying roundTeam The New Saints5.775 Linfield3.650 Víkingur Gøta2.950 Hibernians2.800 FC Santa Coloma2.733 Alashkert2.525 La Fiorita1.566 Europa1.500 FCI Tallinn1.300 Trepça '890.000
League Route +Play-off roundTeam Sevilla112.999 Napoli88.666 Liverpool56.192 Sporting CP36.866 TSG Hoffenheim15.899+Third qualifying roundTeam Dynamo Kyiv67.526 Ajax67.212 Viktoria Plzeň40.635 CSKA Moscow39.606 Club Brugge39.480 FCSB35.370 Young Boys28.915 Nice16.833 İstanbul Başakşehir10.340 AEK Athens6.580
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 19 June 2017, 12:00 CEST. Times are CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Seeding A total of ten teams played in the first qualifying round.
SeededUnseeded The New Saints Linfield Víkingur Gøta Hibernians FC Santa Coloma Alashkert La Fiorita Europa FCI Tallinn Trepça '89
Summary
The first legs were played on 27 and 28 June, and the second legs were played on 4 July 2017.
Matches
Víkingur Gøta won 6–2 on aggregate.
Hibernians won 3–0 on aggregate.
Alashkert won 2–1 on aggregate.
The New Saints won 4–3 on aggregate.
Linfield won 1–0 on aggregate.
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 19 June 2017, 12:00 CEST (after the completion of the first qualifying round draw). Times are CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Seeding A total of 34 teams played in the second qualifying round: 29 teams which entered in this round, and the five winners of the first qualifying round. Since the draw for the second qualifying round took place before the results of the previous round were known, the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie would advance to this round, which meant if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its defeated opponent.
Group 1Group 2Group 3SeededUnseededSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Red Bull Salzburg Ludogorets Razgrad APOEL Qarabağ Partizan Žalgiris F91 Dudelange Budućnost Podgorica Hibernians Samtredia Copenhagen BATE Borisov Astana Rijeka Sheriff Tiraspol Hapoel Be'er Sheva Žilina The New Saints Kukësi Honvéd Alashkert Spartaks Jūrmala Celtic Legia Warsaw Maribor Malmö FF Rosenborg FH Dundalk Vardar Zrinjski Mostar Linfield Víkingur Gøta Mariehamn
Notes
Summary
The first legs were played on 11, 12 and 14 July, and the second legs were played on 18 and 19 July 2017.
Matches
APOEL won 2–0 on aggregate.
Ludogorets Razgrad won 5–3 on aggregate.
Qarabağ won 6–0 on aggregate.
Partizan won 2–0 on aggregate.
Red Bull Salzburg won 6–0 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Sheriff Tiraspol won on away goals.
Astana won 2–1 on aggregate.
BATE Borisov won 4–2 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 4–3 on aggregate.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 5–3 on aggregate.
Rijeka won 7–1 on aggregate.
Vardar won 4–2 on aggregate.
Maribor won 3–2 on aggregate.
Rosenborg won 3–2 on aggregate.
FH won 3–1 on aggregate.
Celtic won 6–0 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 9–0 on aggregate.
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 14 July 2017, 12:00 CEST. Times are CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
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 2017–18 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
A total of 30 teams played in the third qualifying round: Champions Route: three teams which entered in this round, and the 17 winners of the second qualifying round. League Route: ten teams which entered in this round.
Since the draw for the third qualifying round took place before the results of the previous round were known, the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie would advance to this round, which meant if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its defeated opponent.
Champions RouteLeague RouteGroup 1Group 2SeededUnseededSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Celtic Copenhagen BATE Borisov Legia Warsaw Maribor Vardar Astana Rosenborg Slavia Prague FH Olympiacos Red Bull Salzburg Ludogorets Razgrad APOEL Qarabağ Partizan Rijeka Sheriff Tiraspol Hapoel Be'er Sheva Viitorul Constanța Dynamo Kyiv Ajax Viktoria Plzeň CSKA Moscow Club Brugge FCSB Young Boys Nice İstanbul Başakşehir AEK Athens
Notes
Summary
The first legs were played on 25 and 26 July, and the second legs were played on 1 and 2 August 2017.
Champions Route matches
2–2 on aggregate; Slavia Prague won on away goals.
Astana won 3–2 on aggregate.
Maribor won 2–0 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 4–2 on aggregate.
Celtic won 1–0 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Hapoel Be'er Sheva won on away goals.
APOEL won 4–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate; Rijeka won on away goals.
Qarabağ won 2–1 on aggregate.
Olympiacos won 5–3 on aggregate.
League Route matches
FCSB won 6–3 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Nice won on away goals.
3–3 on aggregate; Young Boys won on away goals.
CSKA Moscow won 3–0 on aggregate.
İstanbul Başakşehir won 5–3 on aggregate.
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2017, 12:00 CEST. Times are CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
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 2017–18 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.
Champions RouteLeague RouteSeededUnseededSeededUnseeded Olympiacos Celtic Copenhagen APOEL Maribor Qarabağ Astana Rijeka Hapoel Be'er Sheva Slavia Prague Sevilla Napoli Liverpool CSKA Moscow Sporting CP FCSB Young Boys Nice TSG Hoffenheim İstanbul Başakşehir
Summary
The first legs were played on 15 and 16 August, and the second legs were played on 22 and 23 August 2017.
Champions Route matches
2–2 on aggregate; Qarabağ won on away goals.
APOEL won 2–0 on aggregate.
Olympiacos won 3–1 on aggregate.
Celtic won 8–4 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Maribor won on away goals.
League Route matches
Sevilla won 4–3 on aggregate.
CSKA Moscow won 3–0 on aggregate.
Napoli won 4–0 on aggregate.
Liverpool won 6–3 on aggregate.
Sporting CP won 5–1 on aggregate.
Top goalscorers There were 246 goals scored in 94 matches in the qualifying phase and play-off round, for an average of goals per match.
RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played1 Scott Sinclair Celtic5515 Patrick Twumasi Astana55403 Marcos Tavares Maribor4388 Andrija Pavlović Copenhagen4434 Dino Ndlovu Qarabağ4519 Anthony Nwakaeme Hapoel Be'er Sheva45407 Uroš Nenadović Alashkert3257 Eljero Elia İstanbul Başakşehir3339 Scott Quigley The New Saints3345 Wanderson Ludogorets Razgrad3350 Boban Nikolov Vardar3358 Mario Gavranović Rijeka3448 Igor de Camargo APOEL3544
Source:
Notes
References
External links UEFA Champions League (official website)