The 2025–26 UEFA Youth League Domestic Champions Path began on 17 September and ended on 10 December 2025. A total of 50 teams competed in the Domestic Champions Path to decide 10 of the 32 places in the knockout phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Youth League.
Times are CET or CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Format In the Domestic Champions Path, 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, as the away goals rule had been scrapped, the match would be decided by a penalty shoot-out with no extra time played.
The ten third round winners advanced to the knockout phase, where they were joined by the 22 best-ranked teams from the UEFA Champions League Path.
Round and draw dates The schedule of the competition was as follows.
For the Domestic Champions Path first and second rounds, in principle matches were played on Wednesdays (first round on matchdays 2 and 3, second round on matchdays 4 and 5, as scheduled for UEFA Champions League); however, matches could also be played on other dates, including Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
+Schedule for 2025–26 UEFA Youth LeaguePhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legFirst round1 September 20251 October 202522 October 20255 November 2025Third round
Teams The Domestic Champions Path included 50 youth domestic champions (or runners-up, if the champions qualified for the UEFA Champions League Path) and consisted of the following rounds: First round (20 teams): 20 teams from the 20 lower-ranked member associations according to their 2025 UEFA country coefficients. Second round (40 teams): 30 teams from the top 30 member associations according to UEFA country coefficients, and 10 winners of the first round. Third round (20 teams): 20 winners of the second round.
Below are the participating teams of the Domestic Champions Path, grouped by their starting rounds. Key to coloursWinners of third round advanced to knockout phase
+Second roundTeam Aston Villa Fiorentina Real Betis 1. FC Köln Nantes AZ Porto Genk Trabzonspor Baník Ostrava Hibernian Basel Austria Wien Brann PAOK Midtjylland Maccabi Haifa Dynamo Kyiv Red Star Belgrade Lokomotiva Zagreb Legia Warsaw AEK Larnaca Puskás Akadémia Brommapojkarna FCSB Ludogorets Razgrad Sabah Žilina Bravo 2 Korriku+First roundTeam Ordabasy HJK Shelbourne Jelgava Víkingur Zrinjski Mostar KA Larne Racing Union Be1 Naxxar Lions Dinamo Tbilisi Skënderbeu Narva Trans Dinamo Minsk Rabotnichki Inter Club d'Escaldes Haverfordwest County Budućnost Podgorica Lincoln Red Imps
First round Draw The draw for the first round was held on 1 September 2025. Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4
Summary
The first legs were played on 17, 18 and 26 September, and the second legs on 30 September and 1 October 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the second round.
Matches
Dinamo Minsk won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dinamo Tbilisi won 4–1 on aggregate.
Shelbourne won 12–1 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Racing Union won 5–4 on penalties.
Budućnost Podgorica won 5–3 on aggregate.
HJK Helsinki won 5–1 on aggregate.
Víkingur won 4–2 on aggregate.
Akureyri won 3–2 on aggregate.
Skënderbeu won 15–0 on aggregate.
Lincoln Red Imps won 6–1 on aggregate.
Second round The draw for the second round was held on 1 September 2025. Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4 Summary
The first legs were played on 21, 22 & 23 October and 1 November, and the second legs on 4 & 5 November 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third round.
Matches
Dinamo Minsk won 2–1 on aggregate.
Dinamo Tbilisi won 6–3 on aggregate.
Porto won 8–1 on aggregate.
Real Betis won 4–3 on aggregate.
Maccabi Haifa won 4–2 on aggregate.
Nantes won 7–1 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 4–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Žilina won 2–0 on penalties.
1. FC Köln won 5–1 on aggregate.
Midtjylland won 8–1 on aggregate.
HJK Helsinki won 3–2 on aggregate.
Genk won 11–1 on aggregate.
PAOK won 4–0 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 6–4 on aggregate.
FCSB won 6–4 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate; Puskás Akadémia won 3–1 on penalties.
Dynamo Kyiv won 3–1 on aggregate.
Hibernian won 4–1 on aggregate.
Aston Villa won 7–1 on aggregate.
AZ won 9–0 on aggregate.
Third round Summary
The first legs were played on 25 & 26 November–5 December, and the second legs on 9 & 10 December 2025.
The winners of the ties advanced to the knockout phase.
Matches
2–2 on aggregate; Dinamo Minsk won 4–2 on penalties.
Real Betis won 9–0 on aggregate.
Maccabi Haifa won 4–2 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Žilina won 7–6 on penalties.
1. FC Köln won 5–2 on aggregate.
HJK Helsinki won 3–2 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 4–2 on aggregate.
4–4 on aggregate; Puskás Akadémia won 4–2 on penalties.
Dynamo Kyiv won 2–1 on aggregate.
AZ won 4–3 on aggregate.
Notes
References
External links
UEFA Youth League Matches: 2025–26, UEFA.com