UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 22/23 UNDERWAY TOMORROW

It's been less than a month since Real Madrid played Liverpool in the 2022 Final but the 22/23 UEFA Champions League gets underway tomorrow with two Preliminary Round games taking place - Four teams are involved at this stage with two seeded and two unseeded. The seedings were based on the 2202 UEFA Club coefficients with FCI Levadia (4.750) and La Fiorita (4.000) seeded. Viking Reykjavik (1.075) and Inter Club D'Escaldes (3.000) are the unseeded teams.  Both matches will take place at Víkingsvöllur in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The winner of the Preliminary Round Final will advance to the First Qualifying Round to play Swedish side Malmo with the losing semi-finalists and finalist moving over to the Europa Conference League Champion's Path Second Qualifying Round. 

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND - 21/6/22

SEMI-FINALS

(1) FCI Levadia (Estonia) v Vinkingur Reykjavik (Iceland) - 8.30pm 

(2) La Fiorita (San Marino) v Inter Club D'escaldes (Andorra) - 2pm 

FINAL - 24/6/22

WINNER MATCH (1) v WINNER MATCH (2) 

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW

Two legs to be played on 5th/6th July and 12th/13th July

Pyunik (Armenia) v CFR Cluj (Romania) 

NK Maribor (Slovenia) v Shakhtyor Soligorsk (Belarus) 

Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria) v Sutjeska Nikšić (Montenegro) 

F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) v Tirana (Albania) 

Tobol (Kazakhstan) v Ferencváros (Hungary) 

Malmö FF (Sweden) v Winners of the Preliminary Round

Ballkani (Kosovo) v Žalgiris (Lithuania)

HJK (Finland) v RFS (Latvia) 

Bodø/Glimt (Norway) v KÍ Klaksvík (Faroe Islands) 

The New Saints (Wales) v Linfield (Northern Ireland) 

Shamrock Rovers (Republic of Ireland) v Hibernians (Malta)

Lech Poznań (Poland) v Qarabağ (Azerbaijan) 

Shkupi (North Macedonia) v Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) 

Zrinjski (Bosnia & Herzegovina) v Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova)

Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) v Dinamo Batumi (Georgia) 

The First Qualifying Round has some big European names involved with the teams highlighted on bold being recently involved in the UEFA Champions League group stages. MALMO FF arguably have the best record in Europe of those involved having famously got to the then European Cup Final in 1979 as well as the last 32 of the Europa League in 18/19 and 19/20 and the QF of the Cup Winners Cup in 74/75 and 86/87.