The 2026/27 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw will be held later on today.
A total of 52 clubs will be involved in the draw; 26 seeded teams and 26 unseeded teams.
The draw procedure and the full list of participating clubs (including seeded teams) is explained below.
Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Conference League Regulations (UECL Regulations) the following draw procedure has been adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee.
Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UECL Regulations are applicable to the draw.
Draw system and conditions
14.01 “A draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the ties for the qualifying phase and play-offs. Clubs are seeded for these draws in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season (see Annex D) and with the principles set by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. If, for any reason, any of the participants in the rounds concerned are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficients of the two clubs involved in the undecided tie are used for the purposes of the draw. For the club advancing to the next round of the competition as winner of the tie, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved is used for the purposes of the draw. For the other club, which is fed into the relevant round of the competition from another competition, the lower coefficient of the two clubs in the pairing of the other competition is used
for the purposes of the draw.”
Rule 14.02 “The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.”
Rule 14.03 “A draw is conducted to determine the ties of each match and which team plays the first leg match at home.”
In accordance with the relevant decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from the following associations may not be drawn against each other:
Armenia – Azerbaijan
Gibraltar – Spain
Kosovo – Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kosovo – Serbia
Kosovo – Russia*
Ukraine – Russia*
Ukraine – Belarus
All teams from Russia are suspended until further notice by the decision of the Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, and as confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022.
Draw system
The 52 teams are divided into 4 groups of 10 teams (Groups 1 to 4) and 1 group of 12 teams (Group 5). Within each of the groups, the teams are divided into an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams.
Two Maltese Clubs in today’s draw
Hamrun Spartans F.C. will be seeded in Group 5 whilst Marsaxlokk FC will be unseeded in Group 3.
Draw procedure:
Groups 1 to 4. Here all the clubs in each of the 4 groups are randomly assigned a number: 1 to 5 for the seeded teams and 6 to 10 for the unseeded teams. Three bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the numbers for the seeded and unseeded teams for Groups 1-4 placed in the correspondingly marked bowls.
One ball is taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they are
shuffled. One ball is taken from the central bowl and is opened to display the number. The teams represented by this number are considered the home teams of the first pairing of all 4 groups, which they will play against the teams indicated by the number of the ball drawn second from this bowl.
For example, if the first ball drawn contains the number 2 and the second the number 8, the clubs that have been assigned the numbers 2 and 8 in each of the 4 groups will play each other. The first ball drawn, here containing the number 2, designates the home team for the first leg in all 4 ties. The process is then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties. In Group 5 the procedure is exactly the same as above, with the only difference being that the seeded teams are assigned numbers 1 to 6, and the unseeded teams assigned numbers 7 to 12.
