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2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying

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2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying is the preliminary phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, prior to the competition proper. Qualification will consist of the qualifying phase (first to third rounds) and the play-off round. It will begin on 10 July and end on 28 August 2025.[1]

A total of 155 teams will compete in the qualifying system of the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League, which included the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 21 teams in the Champions Path and 134 teams in the Main Path. The 24 winners of the play-off round will advance to the league phase, to join the 12 losers of the Europa League play-off round.[2][3]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Format

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The qualifying phase and play-off round will be split into two paths – the Champions Path and the Main Path. The Champions Path contains teams which were eliminated from the Champions League Champions Path, and the Europa League Champions Path and the Main Path contains teams which qualify through their domestic league or as domestic cup winners as well as teams eliminated from the Europa League Main Path.

Each tie will be played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs will advance to the next round. If the aggregate score is level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time will be played, and if the same number of goals is scored by both teams during extra time, the tie will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[4]

In the draws for each round, teams will be seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round may not be known at the time of the draws, the seeding is carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advances to the subsequent round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient advances, it simply takes the seeding of its opponent.

Prior to the draws, UEFA can form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, purely for the convenience of the draw and not to resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA cannot be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie can be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.

Schedule

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The schedule of the competition is as follows. Matches are scheduled for Thursdays, though exceptionally could take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.[1]

Schedule for 2025–26 UEFA Conference League
Round Draw date First leg Second leg
First qualifying round 17 June 2025 10 July 2025 17 July 2025
Second qualifying round 18 June 2025 24 July 2025 31 July 2025
Third qualifying round 21 July 2025 7 August 2025 14 August 2025
Play-off round 4 August 2025 21 August 2025 28 August 2025

Teams

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Champions Path

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The Champions Path included league champions which were eliminated from the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Champions League and the Champions Path qualifying phase of the Europa League and consisted of the following rounds:

  • Second qualifying round (12 teams): 12 of the 14 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round (two of the teams received a bye to the third qualifying round).
  • Third qualifying round (8 teams): 6 winners of the second qualifying round, and 2 losers of the Champions League first qualifying round that received a bye.
  • Play-off round (10 teams): 4 winners of the third qualifying round, and 6 losers of the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round.

Below were the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients, not used as seeding for the Champions Path, however),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advanced to league phase
Teams eliminated
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[5]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
[UEL CH Q3]
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Faroe Islands Víkingur [UCL Q1] 4.000
San Marino Virtus [UCL Q1] 1.500
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana [UCL Q1] 17.375
Lithuania Žalgiris [UCL Q1] 12.000
Wales The New Saints [UCL Q1] 9.000
Northern Ireland Linfield [UCL Q1] 8.500
Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica [UCL Q1] 8.000
Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes [UCL Q1] 7.500
Estonia FCI Levadia [UCL Q1] 6.500
Belarus Dinamo Minsk [UCL Q1] 6.000
Moldova Milsami Orhei [UCL Q1] 5.500
Luxembourg Differdange 03 [UCL Q1] 5.000
Georgia (country) Iberia 1999 [UCL Q1] 4.500
Albania Egnatia [UCL Q1] 2.500
Notes
  1. UEL CH Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  2. UCL Q1 Losers of Champions League first qualifying round.

Main Path

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The Main Path includes league non-champions and domestic cup winners and consists of the following rounds:

Below were the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2025 UEFA club coefficients),[5] grouped by their starting rounds.

Key to colours
Winners of play-off round advanced to league phase
Teams eliminated
Play-off round
Team Coeff.[5]
Italy Fiorentina 62.000
England Crystal Palace 23.039
Spain Rayo Vallecano 18.890
Germany Mainz 05 17.266
France Strasbourg 14.618
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
[UEL MP Q3]
Third qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
[UEL MP Q2]
Second qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Netherlands AZ 54.500
Austria Rapid Wien 32.250
Czech Republic Sparta Prague 29.500
Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir 23.000
Serbia Partizan [UEL MP Q1] 22.000
Israel Maccabi Haifa 18.000
Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 17.875
Cyprus Omonia 17.375
Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva [UEL MP Q1] 16.500
Poland Jagiellonia Białystok 14.000
Portugal Santa Clara 12.453
Kazakhstan Astana 12.000
Belgium Charleroi 11.370
Croatia Hajduk Split 10.000
Latvia Riga 10.000
Slovenia Maribor 9.500
Greece AEK Athens 9.500
Slovakia Spartak Trnava [UEL MP Q1] 8.500
Kosovo Ballkani 8.000
Poland Raków Częstochowa 8.000
Norway Rosenborg 7.937
Norway Viking 7.937
Greece Aris Thessaloniki 7.862
Armenia Ararat-Armenia 7.500
Austria Austria Wien 7.500
Liechtenstein Vaduz 7.500
Scotland Dundee United 7.110
Denmark Brøndby 7.000
Denmark Silkeborg 6.796
Switzerland Lausanne-Sport 6.725
Hungary Puskás Akadémia 6.500
Romania Universitatea Craiova 6.500
Israel Beitar Jerusalem 6.325
Faroe Islands HB 6.000
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 6.000
Cyprus Aris Limassol 5.507
Sweden Hammarby IF 5.500
Malta Hibernians 5.500
Sweden AIK 5.425
Croatia Varaždin 5.405
Serbia Radnički 1923 5.100
Serbia Novi Pazar 5.100
Slovakia Žilina 5.000
Ukraine Polissya Zhytomyr 4.880
Ukraine Oleksandriya 4.880
Hungary Paks [UEL MP Q1] 4.800
Hungary Győr 4.800
Romania Universitatea Cluj 4.650
Slovakia Košice [†] 4.250
Azerbaijan Zira 4.000
Azerbaijan Sabah [UEL MP Q1] 4.000
Bulgaria Cherno More 3.975
Bulgaria Arda 3.975
Azerbaijan Araz-Naxçıvan 3.925
Finland Ilves [UEL MP Q1] 3.000
Moldova Zimbru Chișinău 3.000
Kazakhstan Aktobe [UEL MP Q1] 3.000
Iceland KA 2.704
Kosovo Prishtina [UEL MP Q1] 2.500
Northern Ireland Dungannon Swifts 1.666
Lithuania Banga 1.650
Albania Dinamo City 1.575
Luxembourg UNA Strassen 1.375
Georgia (country) Spaeri 1.325
First qualifying round
Team Coeff.[5]
Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac Banja Luka 13.625
Finland HJK 12.500
Estonia Flora 11.500
Faroe Islands KÍ 11.000
Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík 10.750
Armenia Pyunik 8.500
Moldova Petrocub Hîncești 8.500
Northern Ireland Larne 7.000
Estonia Paide Linnameeskond 7.000
Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 7.000
Albania Partizani 6.500
Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic 5.500
San Marino La Fiorita 5.500
Montenegro Sutjeska 5.500
Albania Vllaznia 5.000
Lithuania Kauno Žalgiris 5.000
Kazakhstan Ordabasy 4.500
Malta Floriana 4.500
Slovenia Koper 4.068
Armenia Urartu 4.000
Belarus Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 4.000
Gibraltar St Joseph's 4.000
Georgia (country) Dila Gori 4.000
Montenegro Dečić 4.000
Andorra FC Santa Coloma 4.000
Belarus Dynamo Brest 4.000
Latvia Auda 3.500
Belarus Neman Grodno 3.500
Gibraltar FCB Magpies 3.500
Andorra Atlètic Club d'Escaldes 3.500
Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi 3.000
Iceland Valur 3.000
San Marino Tre Fiori 3.000
Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 2.606
Northern Ireland Cliftonville 2.500
Malta Birkirkara 2.500
Luxembourg Racing Union 2.500
North Macedonia Sileks 2.500
Latvia Daugavpils 2.450
Kosovo Malisheva 2.408
Finland SJK 2.350
Faroe Islands NSÍ 2.150
Lithuania Hegelmann 1.650
Estonia Nõmme Kalju 1.591
Wales Haverfordwest County 1.500
Wales Penybont 1.358
North Macedonia Vardar 1.233
North Macedonia Rabotnički 1.233
Notes
  1. UEL MP Q3 Losers of Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).
  2. UEL MP Q2 Losers of Europa League second qualifying round (Main Path).
  3. UEL MP Q1 Losers of Europa League first qualifying round (Main Path).
  4. † Slovak club DAC Dunajská Streda (8.000) originally entered the competition and took part in the second qualifying round draw, but were later replaced by Košice.

First qualifying round

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The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.

Seeding

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A total of 48 teams will play in the first qualifying round. Seeding of the teams was based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA allocated the teams into six groups of four seeded teams and four unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[6] Teams were pre-assigned numbers by UEFA so that the draw could be held in one run for all groups. The first team drawn in each tie was designated the home team for the first leg.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded

Summary

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The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 17 June 2025.[7] The first legs were played on 8 and 10 July, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 July 2025.

The winners of the ties advance to the second qualifying round.

First qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
NSÍ Faroe Islands4–5Finland HJK4–00–5 (a.e.t.)
Torpedo Kutaisi Georgia (country)5–4Kazakhstan Ordabasy4–31–1
Željezničar Bosnia and Herzegovina2–4Slovenia Koper1–11–3
SJK Finland1–4Faroe Islands KÍ1–20–2
Nõmme Kalju Estonia2–1Albania Partizani1–11–0 (a.e.t.)
Tre Fiori San Marino1–5Armenia Pyunik1–00–5
St Patrick's Athletic Republic of Ireland3–0Lithuania Hegelmann1–02–0
Dečić Montenegro3–2North Macedonia Sileks2–01–2
Sutjeska Montenegro3–2Belarus Dynamo Brest1–22–0
Larne Northern Ireland2–2 (4–2 p)Latvia Auda0–02–2 (a.e.t.)
Floriana Malta5–3Wales Haverfordwest County2–13–2
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino Belarus4–0North Macedonia Rabotnički3–01–0
FCB Magpies Gibraltar3–7Estonia Paide Linnameeskond2–31–4
Birkirkara Malta1–3Moldova Petrocub Hîncești1–00–3
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes Andorra5–2Luxembourg F91 Dudelange2–03–2
Valur Iceland5–1Estonia Flora3–02–1
Malisheva Kosovo0–9Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík0–10–8
Racing Union Luxembourg1–3Georgia (country) Dila Gori1–20–1
Vllaznia Albania4–3Latvia Daugavpils0–14–2
Urartu Armenia1–6Belarus Neman Grodno1–20–4
Vardar North Macedonia5–2[a]San Marino La Fiorita3–02–2
Kauno Žalgiris Lithuania4–1Wales Penybont3–01–1
St Joseph's Gibraltar5–4Northern Ireland Cliftonville2–23–2 (a.e.t.)
Borac Banja Luka Bosnia and Herzegovina3–4Andorra FC Santa Coloma1–42–0
Notes:
  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Matches

[edit]
Main article: 2025–26 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round matches (Main Path)

Second qualifying round

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The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 18 June 2025.

Seeding

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A total of 100 teams will play in the second qualifying round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA formed groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.[8] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 7 Group 8 Group 9
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Losers of the Champions League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. †† Winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  3. ††† Losers of the Europa League first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  4. & DAC Dunajská Streda took part in the draw, but were later replaced by Košice.

Summary

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The first legs will be played on 22, 23 and 24 July, and the second legs will be played on 29 and 31 July 2025.

The winners of the ties will advance to the third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round
Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Víkingur Faroe IslandsByeN/A——
Virtus San MarinoByeN/A——
FCI Levadia EstoniaMatch 1Georgia (country) Iberia 199923 Jul29 Jul
Žalgiris LithuaniaMatch 2Northern Ireland Linfield24 Jul31 Jul
The New Saints WalesMatch 3Luxembourg Differdange 0323 Jul29 Jul
Olimpija Ljubljana SloveniaMatch 4Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes23 Jul29 Jul
Budućnost Podgorica MontenegroMatch 5Moldova Milsami Orhei23 Jul31 Jul
Dinamo Minsk BelarusMatch 6Albania Egnatia24 Jul31 Jul
Main Path
Dundee United ScotlandMatch 1Luxembourg UNA Strassen24 Jul31 Jul
Larne Northern IrelandMatch 2Kosovo Prishtina24 Jul31 Jul
Košice SlovakiaMatch 3Belarus Neman Grodno24 Jul31 Jul
Vaduz LiechtensteinMatch 4Northern Ireland Dungannon Swifts24 Jul31 Jul
Silkeborg DenmarkMatch 5Iceland KA23 Jul31 Jul
Rosenborg NorwayMatch 6Lithuania Banga24 Jul31 Jul
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes AndorraMatch 7Albania Dinamo City24 Jul31 Jul
Austria Wien AustriaMatch 8Georgia (country) Spaeri24 Jul31 Jul
Ballkani KosovoMatch 9Malta Floriana22 Jul31 Jul
Viking NorwayMatch 10Slovenia Koper24 Jul31 Jul
AEK Athens GreeceMatch 11Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva24 Jul31 Jul
Pyunik ArmeniaMatch 12Hungary Győr24 Jul31 Jul
Riga LatviaMatch 13Georgia (country) Dila Gori24 Jul31 Jul
Raków Częstochowa PolandMatch 14Slovakia Žilina24 Jul31 Jul
Petrocub Hîncești MoldovaMatch 15Azerbaijan Sabah24 Jul31 Jul
Ararat-Armenia ArmeniaMatch 16Romania Universitatea Cluj24 Jul31 Jul
Varaždin CroatiaMatch 17Portugal Santa Clara24 Jul31 Jul
Kauno Žalgiris LithuaniaMatch 18Iceland Valur24 Jul31 Jul
Paks HungaryMatch 19Slovenia Maribor24 Jul31 Jul
Vllaznia AlbaniaMatch 20Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík24 Jul31 Jul
Hammarby IF SwedenMatch 21Belgium Charleroi24 Jul31 Jul
Radnički 1923 SerbiaMatch 22Faroe Islands KÍ24 Jul31 Jul
Novi Pazar SerbiaMatch 23Poland Jagiellonia Białystok24 Jul31 Jul
Polissya Zhytomyr UkraineMatch 24Andorra FC Santa Coloma24 Jul31 Jul
Vardar North MacedoniaMatch 25Switzerland Lausanne-Sport24 Jul31 Jul
HB Faroe IslandsMatch 26Denmark Brøndby24 Jul31 Jul
Oleksandriya UkraineMatch 27Serbia Partizan24 Jul31 Jul
Hibernians MaltaMatch 28Slovakia Spartak Trnava24 Jul31 Jul
St Patrick's Athletic Republic of IrelandMatch 29Estonia Nõmme Kalju24 Jul31 Jul
Paide Linnameeskond EstoniaMatch 30[a]Sweden AIK24 Jul31 Jul
Sarajevo Bosnia and HerzegovinaMatch 31Romania Universitatea Craiova24 Jul31 Jul
Aris Limassol CyprusMatch 32Hungary Puskás Akadémia24 Jul31 Jul
St Joseph's GibraltarMatch 33Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers24 Jul31 Jul
Ilves FinlandMatch 34Netherlands AZ24 Jul31 Jul
Zira AzerbaijanMatch 35Croatia Hajduk Split23 Jul31 Jul
Arda BulgariaMatch 36Finland HJK24 Jul31 Jul
Aktobe KazakhstanMatch 37Czech Republic Sparta Prague24 Jul31 Jul
Astana KazakhstanMatch 38[a]Moldova Zimbru Chișinău24 Jul31 Jul
Dečić MontenegroMatch 39Austria Rapid Wien24 Jul31 Jul
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino BelarusMatch 40Israel Maccabi Haifa24 Jul31 Jul
Araz-Naxçıvan AzerbaijanMatch 41Greece Aris Thessaloniki24 Jul31 Jul
Omonia CyprusMatch 42Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi24 Jul31 Jul
Cherno More BulgariaMatch 43Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir24 Jul31 Jul
Sutjeska MontenegroMatch 44Israel Beitar Jerusalem24 Jul31 Jul
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Matches

[edit]
Main articles: 2025–26 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round matches (Champions Path) and 2025–26 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round matches (Main Path)

Third qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the third qualifying round will be held on 21 July 2025.

Seeding

[edit]

A total of 60 teams will play in the third qualifying round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Group 1 Group 2
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Main Path
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Group 4 Group 5
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
Notes
  1. † Winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.
  2. †† Losers of the Europa League second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw. Teams in italics lost to a team with a lower coefficient, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their opponent in the draw.

Play-off round

[edit]

The draw for the play-off round will be held on 4 August 2025.

Seeding

[edit]

A total of 48 teams will play in the play-off round. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients.[5] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

Champions Path
Qualified teams
  • 4 winners of the third qualifying round
  • 6 losers of the Europa League third qualifying round
Main Path
Seeded To be confirmed Unseeded
  • France Strasbourg
  • 26 winners of the third qualifying round
  • 5 losers of the Europa League third qualifying round

References

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  1. ^ a b "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know". UEFA.com. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 24 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  7. ^ "UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw". UEFA. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  8. ^ "UEFA Conference League second qualifying round draw". UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
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