Europe’s top club soccer competition is just days away from finalizing its historic 36-team expanded lineup, and a beloved low-profile underdog stands on the cusp of securing one of the last coveted spots.
Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, the tiny Cinderella club hailing from a fishing town located above the Arctic Circle, carries a comfortable 3-1 first-leg advantage into Tuesday’s decisive second leg of Champions League qualifying against Dutch first-time qualifier NEC Nijmegen, played on Bodø/Glimt’s home turf. If the club advances, it will earn a place in the main draw, which will be unveiled Thursday evening at a ceremony in Monaco, alongside global soccer heavyweights including defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
Bodø/Glimt is no stranger to giant-killing runs in the Champions League. Last season, the side pulled off upset wins against European elites including Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan on its way through the competition. This qualifying campaign, the team has shown consistent offensive firepower, netting three goals in each of its three qualifying matches so far, and eliminated Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise 6-5 on aggregate to reach this final playoff stage. Unlike many small clubs that lose their top talent after standout runs, Bodø/Glimt has retained nearly its entire 2023-24 squad, with only one high-profile departure: Danish forward Kasper Høgh was sold to Scottish side Celtic for a reported $15 million. Høgh and Celtic will also play a decisive qualifying match on Tuesday, carrying a 3-0 first-leg lead into their away fixture against Austria’s LASK.
Norway could see two clubs qualify for the expanded Champions League main draw. Domestic champion Viking hosts Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday for their second leg, with the tie leveled at 2-2 after Dinamo Zagreb squandered an early two-goal lead in the opening fixture last week.
The official Champions League draw ceremony is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in Monaco, just a short 10-minute drive from where local club AS Monaco will kick off its own Conference League playoff second leg, defending a 3-2 first-leg lead over Poland’s Gornik Zabrze. Monaco is one of 36 clubs across European soccer’s second-tier Europa League and third-tier Conference League playing second legs this week to finalize lineups for their own main draw ceremonies, set for Friday.
UEFA has already released the confirmed seeding pots for Thursday’s draw, with 29 of the 36 spots already locked in. Pot 1 is packed with the sport’s most high-profile sides: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. The draw will use UEFA’s specialized software to assign eight opponents to each of the 36 teams, with two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots. Seven spots in Pot 4 remain unclaimed, reserved for the seven playoff winners to be decided this week.
The new-look expanded Champions League will begin its group-stage round with first matchdays held across September 8-10, marking the only round of matches before a newly scheduled four-game international break that starts September 24. The competition will resume October 13 for the second round, with the sixth group-stage round set for December 8-9 before a winter break through January. The eighth and final round of group-stage matches, which will see all 36 teams play simultaneously, is scheduled for January 27.
This week also sees decisive qualifying action across UEFA’s other two club competitions, both of which feature surprisingly strong lineups for their upcoming league phases. The Europa League, which will hold its draw Friday, counts global powerhouses AC Milan, Juventus, and Bayer Leverkusen among its already qualified teams, plus an unusual trio of English sides: defending Conference League champions Crystal Palace, first-time European qualifier Bournemouth, and Sunderland, which is returning to UEFA competition for the first time in 53 years. The winner of the 2024-25 Europa League, which will hold its final in Frankfurt, Germany next May, earns an automatic spot in the 2025-26 Champions League.
Many second legs for Europa League qualifying are scheduled for Thursday, overlapping with the Champions League draw in Monaco. Notable ties include Mo Salah-associated Trabzonspor, which trails 1-0 ahead of its away match against Hungary’s Ferencvaros, and former European Cup winners Benfica and Red Star Belgrade. A number of feelgood underdog domestic champions have already fallen in earlier qualifying rounds: Swiss champion Thun, who was eliminated from Champions League qualifying by Dinamo Zagreb, suffered a lopsided 7-0 first-leg loss to Poland’s Lech Poznan in Europa League qualifying, while Sweden’s Mjällby carries a 1-0 home loss into its second leg against Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg. All Europa League playoff losers will drop down to the Conference League main phase, which will be played across six rounds through December.
The Conference League, for its part, features a number of clubs that are regular contenders in the Champions League, including Ajax, Atalanta, and AS Monaco. Former Europa League finalist Freiburg has dropped down to the third-tier competition, while England’s Brighton will aim to secure a third consecutive Conference League title for English clubs, following previous wins by Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No teams have received a bye to the six-round league phase, meaning all must secure playoff wins this week to advance. Atalanta, the 2024 Europa League winner, is at particular risk of elimination after playing to a 0-0 home draw in the first leg against Israel’s Hapoel Tel-Aviv; the second leg will be played on neutral ground in Hungary due to ongoing regional conflict. The tiny principality of Andorra is also poised to make history, with Inter Escaldes carrying a 2-2 aggregate tie into its home second leg against Kosovo’s Drita, while Northern Ireland’s Larne carries a 2-0 advantage into its home leg against Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps.