In today’s UEFA Champions League second qualifying round draw, all three Baltic league champions found out their potential opponents.
The winner of the tie between Latvian champions FC RFS and Estonian champions FCI Levadia will face the victor of the first-round matchup between Georgian champions FC Iberia 1999 and Swedish title-holders Malmö FF, a club with considerable recent experience in European group stages.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian champions FK Žalgiris, if they overcome Maltese side Hamrun Spartans FC in the first round, will meet Ukrainian giants FC Dynamo Kyiv in the second qualifying round. Dynamo Kyiv—former opponents of both RFS and Panevėžys—have a long-standing history in European competitions.
Yesterday’s first qualifying round draw produced a standout fixture: RFS vs. Levadia—the first time the two sides will meet in European competition. Žalgiris drew Hamrun Spartans, who are expected to announce the Lithuanian international and former FA Šiauliai captain Domantas Šimkus as the new player.
Earlier on Tuesday, UEFA announced the small groupings used for the second-round draw, reducing each club’s potential opponents from twelve to four. All three Baltic champions were placed in Group 1 as unseeded teams, meaning they each faced the same pool of seeded clubs—many with serious European credentials.
The possible opponents included:
- Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) – former UEFA Champions League winners and recent group stage participants.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv – Israeli champions who faced Panevėžys in last season’s qualifiers and RFS in the Europa League phase.
- FC Dynamo Kyiv – another recent RFS opponent from the Europa League.
- The winner of FC Iberia 1999 vs. Malmö FF.
The second qualifying round first legs are scheduled for July 23–24, with the return matches on July 30–31. With challenging but high-profile matchups ahead, the Baltic clubs will aim to take another step closer to the UEFA Champions League group stage.
UEFA Champions League 1st qualifying round
| Teams | 1st leg (08-09.07) | 2nd leg (15-16.07) | Aggregate |
| FK Žalgiris (LTU) vs Hamrun Spartans (MAL) | 2:0 | 0:3 | 2:3 (after PK) |
| KuPS (FIN) vs FC Milsami (MOL) | 1:0 | 0:0 | 1:0 |
| The New Saints (WAL) vs Shkendija (MAC) | 0:0 | 1:2 | 1:2 (after ET) |
| Iberia 1999 (GEO) vs Malmo FF (SWE) | 1:3 | 1:3 | 2:6 |
| FCI Levadia (EST) vs FC RFS (LAT) | 0:1 | 0:1 | 0:2 |
| FC Drita (KOS) vs FC Differdange 03 (LUX) | 1:0 | 3:2 | 4:2 |
| Vikingur (FAR) vs Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) | 2:3 | 0:1 | 2:4 |
| KF Egnatia (ALB) vs Breidablik (ICE) | 1:0 | 0:5 | 1:5 |
| Shelbourne (IRE) vs Linfield (NIR) | 1:0 | 16.07 | |
| FCSB (ROM) vs Inter Escaldes (AND) | 3:1 | 1:2 | 4:3 |
| Virtus (SAN) vs Zrinjski (BOS) | 0:2 | 1:2 | 4:1 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana (SLO) vs Kairat Almaty (KAZ) | 1:1 | 0:2 | 1:3 |
| FC Noah (ARM) vs Buducnost (MON) | 1:0 | 2:2 | 3:2 |
| Ludogorets (BUL) vs Dinamo Minsk (BLR) | 1:0 | 16.07 |
UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round draw
| Pair 1 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| FC RFS vs Malmo FF | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| KuPS (FIN) vs Kairat Almaty (KAZ) | 22.07 | 29.07 |
| Lincoln Red Imps(GIB) vs Crvena Zvezda (SRB) | 22.07 | 29.07 |
| Noah (ARM) vs Ferencvaros (HUN) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| FC Copenhagen (DEN) vs Drita (KOS) | 22.07 | 29.07 |
| Hamrun (MAL) vs Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) | 22.07 | 29.07 |
| Pafos (CYP) vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Plzen (CZE) vs Servette (SWI) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Shkendija (MKD) vs FCSB (ROM) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs Zrinjski (BOS) | 22.07 | 29.07 |
| Lech Poznan (POL) vs Breidablik (ICE) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Rangers (SCO) vs Panathinaikos (GRE) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Rijeka (CRO) vs Ludogorets (BUL) | 22.07 | 30.07 |
| Brann (NOR) vs Salzburg (AUT) | 23.07 | 30.07 |
| Shelbourne (IRL) vs Qarabag (AZE) | 23.07 | 30.07 |
