The club season 2024/25 has reached the finish line, which means the first contours of the participants in the qualifying rounds of next season's European Cup tournaments, in particular, the Champions League, have appeared.
In the upcoming season, one team will represent Ukraine in the main European tournament—the champion of the country, which will start from the 2nd qualifying round.
24 teams will take part in this stage of the Champions League: 15 winners of the first qualifying round and champions of countries that occupy positions from 15 to 24 in the UEFA coefficient table applicable to the 2025/26 season, excluding Russia, which occupies the 22nd position.
As already reported, the champion of Ukraine at the end of the current season will be either "Dynamo" or "Alexandria". The Kyiv team, in case of participation in the Champions League, will be among the "seeded" teams during the draw of the 2nd qualifying round of the tournament, while the "city team" will be among the "unseeded". Therefore, the set of possible opponents for Dynamo and Alexandria is completely different.
Currently, 19 out of 30 participants in the 1st qualifying round of the Champions League are known. Among the clubs whose names are well-known, there are "Malmo", "Slovan" (Bratislava), "Karabakh". This list is sure to be joined by "Steaua", which has practically guaranteed itself the championship in Romania.
With the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, there is currently less clarity, but if we forecast how the national championships will end, as well as assume that the winners of the first qualifying round will be "seeded" teams, then an approximate list of possible opponents for the champion of Ukraine can be compiled already.
Possible opponents in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League for "Dynamo" ("unseeded"):
"Malmo" (Sweden)
"Zalgiris" (Lithuania)
RFS (Latvia)
"Paphos" (Cyprus)
"Zrinjski" (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
"KuPS" (Finland)
"Lincoln Red Imps" (Gibraltar)
"New Saints" (Wales)
"Drita" (Kosovo)
"Breidablik" (Iceland)
"Linfield" (Northern Ireland)
"Buducnost" (Montenegro).
Possible opponents in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League for "Alexandria" ("seeded"):
"Olympiacos" (Greece)
"Crvena Zvezda" (Serbia)
"Slovan" (Slovakia)
"Copenhagen" / "Midtjylland" (Denmark)
"Ferencvaros" (Hungary)
"Maccabi" T-A (Israel)
"Dynamo" Zg (Croatia)
"Steaua" (Romania)
"Karabakh" (Azerbaijan)
"Ludogorets" (Bulgaria)
"Olimpija" (Slovenia)
"Sheriff" (Moldova).
Additionally, the draw for the 1st and 2nd qualifying rounds of the Champions League for the 2025/26 season will take place on June 17. The first matches of the second qualifying round will take place on July 22 and 23, with the return matches on July 29 and 30.
