Champions League 2025/26: Third Qualifying Round Kicks Off with Mixed Results

The road to the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League group stage is heating up as the third qualifying round got underway on Tuesday, delivering drama, surprises, and key results.

One of the standout performances came from Rangers, who cruised to a convincing 3-0 victory over Czech side Viktoria Plzeň, putting themselves in a strong position heading into the second leg.

Elsewhere, it was a tense affair between Malmö and Copenhagen, as both sides settled for a 0-0 draw, leaving everything to play for in the return leg.

Dynamo Kyiv suffered a surprising 1-0 home defeat to Pafos, while Shkëndija also lost 1-0 to Qarabağ, who continue to show their strength in European qualifiers.

More first-leg clashes are set to take place today (Wednesday), with several exciting matchups on the card:

Salzburg vs Club Brugge

Nice vs Benfica

Feyenoord vs Fenerbahçe (led by José Mourinho)

Kairat Almaty vs Slovan Bratislava

Ludogorets vs Ferencváros

Lech Poznań vs Crvena Zvezda

While 29 clubs have already qualified directly for the group stage, only seven more spots are up for grabs through these intense qualifying rounds.

As the race for Champions League football continues, all eyes will be on the return legs to see who makes it one step closer to joining Europe’s elite in the league phase.

Stay tuned for more updates as the qualifiers unfold!