UEFA's latest changes to its club competitions take place this year. It's not a dramatic overhaul, but the balance of clubs in group stage is tilted slightly more towards the big countries.
Hoffenheim is the only group stage débutante so far, though that could always change depending on how qualifying goes.
Preliminary Round SF - 6/26
FC Santa Coloma (AND) vs. Drita (KOS)
La Fiorita (SMR) vs. Lincoln Red Imps (GIB)
Preliminary Round Final - 6/29
1st Qualifying Round - 7/10-11 and 7/17-18
Torpedo Kutaisi (GEO) vs. Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Shkëndija (MKD) vs. The New Saints (WAL)
Sūduva Marijampolė (LTU) vs. APOEL (CYP)
Olimpija Ljubljana (SLO) vs. Qarabağ (AZE)
F91 Dudelange (LUX) vs. Videoton (HUN)
[prelim winners] vs. Malmö (SWE)
Víkingur Gøta (FAR) vs. HJK (FIN)
Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) vs. Crusaders (NIR)
Cork City (IRL) vs. Legia Warsaw (POL)
Valur (ISL) vs. Rosenborg (NOR)
Kukësi (ALB) vs. Valletta (MLT)
Flora Tallinn (EST) vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (ISR)
Spartaks Jūrmala (LAT) vs. Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Alashkert (ARM) vs. Celtic (SCO)
Spartak Trnava (SVK) vs. Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)
Astana (KAZ) vs. Sutjeska Nikšić (MNE)
Midtjylland (DEN), CFR Cluj (ROU), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), and BATE Borisov (BLR) await in the following round. The CL qualifying bracket has become more forgiving: losers from the first qualifying round parachute into the Europa qualifying system. In the past, you had to get to the third qualifying round to parachute into the EL.
- The top three countries in the coefficients (Spain, Germany, England) now have all four entrants go straight to the group stage. #4 doesn't have to qualify.
- The fourth country (Italy) gets a fourth entrant and neither #3 nor #4 has to qualify
- Because last seasons CL and EL winners qualified for the CL group stage through the league, France 3 (Lyon) and Czech Republic 1 (Viktoria Plzeň) get bumped up to CL group stage
- There are now only six places for qualifiers instead of ten. The slots for the "champions route" for the smaller countries have been reduced from five to four. The slots for the "league route" for the non-champions of larger countries have been reduced from five to two. That's because the formerly "league route" clubs from big countries like Valencia, Dortmund, Liverpool, and Roma have been bumped directly to the group stage.
- The UEFA has adopted an NCAA-style "play-in" bracket for the lowest-ranking countries. Gibraltar is hosting this Preliminary Round, which begins on Tuesday with one-leg semifinals. A one-leg final on Friday determines who advances to the first qualifying round.
Hoffenheim is the only group stage débutante so far, though that could always change depending on how qualifying goes.
Preliminary Round SF - 6/26
FC Santa Coloma (AND) vs. Drita (KOS)
La Fiorita (SMR) vs. Lincoln Red Imps (GIB)
Preliminary Round Final - 6/29
1st Qualifying Round - 7/10-11 and 7/17-18
Torpedo Kutaisi (GEO) vs. Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Shkëndija (MKD) vs. The New Saints (WAL)
Sūduva Marijampolė (LTU) vs. APOEL (CYP)
Olimpija Ljubljana (SLO) vs. Qarabağ (AZE)
F91 Dudelange (LUX) vs. Videoton (HUN)
[prelim winners] vs. Malmö (SWE)
Víkingur Gøta (FAR) vs. HJK (FIN)
Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) vs. Crusaders (NIR)
Cork City (IRL) vs. Legia Warsaw (POL)
Valur (ISL) vs. Rosenborg (NOR)
Kukësi (ALB) vs. Valletta (MLT)
Flora Tallinn (EST) vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (ISR)
Spartaks Jūrmala (LAT) vs. Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Alashkert (ARM) vs. Celtic (SCO)
Spartak Trnava (SVK) vs. Zrinjski Mostar (BIH)
Astana (KAZ) vs. Sutjeska Nikšić (MNE)
Midtjylland (DEN), CFR Cluj (ROU), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), and BATE Borisov (BLR) await in the following round. The CL qualifying bracket has become more forgiving: losers from the first qualifying round parachute into the Europa qualifying system. In the past, you had to get to the third qualifying round to parachute into the EL.