2017–18 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round
The 2017–18 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round 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 of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.
All times were CEST.
Round and draw dates
The schedule of the qualifying phase and play-off round was as follows.Round | Draw | First leg | Second leg |
First qualifying round | 19 June 2017 | 27–28 June 2017 | 4–5 July 2017 |
Second qualifying round | 19 June 2017 | 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, 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 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, which included all domestic non-champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage.
Below were the participating teams, grouped by their starting rounds.
Key to colours |
Winners of the play-off round advance to the group stage |
Losers of the play-off round enter the Europa League group stage |
Losers of the third qualifying round enter the Europa League play-off round |
Champions Route
League Route
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.
Seeding
A total of ten teams played in the first qualifying round.Seeded | Unseeded |
The New Saints Linfield Víkingur Gøta Hibernians FC Santa Coloma | Alashkert La Fiorita Europa FC 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.
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Alashkert won 2–1 on aggregate.
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The New Saints won 4–3 on aggregate.
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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. Times are CEST, as listed by UEFA.
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.;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.
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Qarabağ won 6–0 on aggregate.
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Partizan won 2–0 on aggregate.
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Red Bull Salzburg won 6–0 on aggregate.
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2–2 on aggregate. Sheriff Tiraspol won on away goals.
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Astana won 2–1 on aggregate.
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BATE Borisov won 4–2 on aggregate.
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Copenhagen won 4–3 on aggregate.
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Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 5–3 on aggregate.
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Rijeka won 7–1 on aggregate.
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Vardar won 4–2 on aggregate.
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Maribor won 3–2 on aggregate.
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Rosenborg won 3–2 on aggregate.
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FH won 3–1 on aggregate.
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Celtic won 6–0 on aggregate.
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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.
Seeding
The third qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route and League Route. 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.
;Notes
Summary
The first legs were played on 25 and 26 July, and the second legs were played on 1 and 2 August 2017.
Matches
2–2 on aggregate. Slavia Prague won on away goals.----
Astana won 3–2 on aggregate.
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Maribor won 2–0 on aggregate.
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Copenhagen won 4–2 on aggregate.
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Celtic won 1–0 on aggregate.
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3–3 on aggregate. Hapoel Be'er Sheva won on away goals.
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APOEL won 4–1 on aggregate.
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1–1 on aggregate. Rijeka won on away goals.
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Qarabağ won 2–1 on aggregate.
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Olympiacos won 5–3 on aggregate.
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FCSB won 6–3 on aggregate.
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3–3 on aggregate. Nice won on away goals.
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3–3 on aggregate. Young Boys won on away goals.
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CSKA Moscow won 3–0 on aggregate.
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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.
Seeding
The play-off round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route and League Route. 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.
Summary
The first legs were played on 15 and 16 August, and the second legs were played on 22 and 23 August 2017.
Matches
2–2 on aggregate. Qarabağ won on away goals.----
APOEL won 2–0 on aggregate.
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Olympiacos won 3–1 on aggregate.
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Celtic won 8–4 on aggregate.
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2–2 on aggregate. Maribor won on away goals.
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Sevilla won 4–3 on aggregate.
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CSKA Moscow won 3–0 on aggregate.
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Napoli won 4–0 on aggregate.
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Liverpool won 6–3 on aggregate.
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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.Rank | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
1 | Scott Sinclair | Celtic | 5 | 515 |
1 | Patrick Twumasi | Astana | 5 | 540 |
3 | Marcos Tavares | Maribor | 4 | 388 |
3 | Andrija Pavlović | Copenhagen | 4 | 434 |
3 | Dino Ndlovu | Qarabağ | 4 | 519 |
3 | Anthony Nwakaeme | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 4 | 540 |
7 | Uroš Nenadović | Alashkert | 3 | 257 |
7 | Eljero Elia | İstanbul Başakşehir | 3 | 339 |
7 | Scott Quigley | The New Saints | 3 | 345 |
7 | Wanderson | Ludogorets Razgrad | 3 | 350 |
7 | Boban Nikolov | Vardar | 3 | 358 |
7 | Mario Gavranović | Rijeka | 3 | 448 |
7 | Igor de Camargo | APOEL | 3 | 544 |
7 | - | - | - | - |
Source: