UEFA Youth League domestic champions path draw

The UEFA Youth League domestic champions path draw has set two rounds of two-legged knockout competition for 32 of the 64 contenders, including holders AZ Alkmaar.

The path contains the domestic youth champions of the 32 highest-ranked associations whose domestic youth champions' senior teams did not qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage (and therefore are in the Champions League path group stage).

The eight eventual domestic champions path second-round winners will then host the eight Champions League path group runners-up in the play-off round. The eight play-off winners will join the eight group winners in the round of 16, with the one-legged knockout phase leading to a one-venue four-team final tournament in April.

First-round ties (4 & 25 October)

Lech Poznań (POL) vs Nantes (FRA)
PAFOS (CYP) vs Žilina (SVK)
Ruh Lviv (UKR) vs Sarajevo (BIH)
Sparta Praha (CZE) vs Maccabi Haifa (ISR)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs Klaipeda (LTU)
Malmö (SWE) vs HJK Helsinki (FIN)
Molde (NOR) vs Hamilton Academical (SCO)
Famalicão (POR) vs Midtjylland (DEN)

Turan Turkistan (KAZ) vs Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Universitatea Craiova (ROU) vs Partizan (SRB)
Olympiacos (GRE) vs Lecce (ITA)
Dinamo Minsk (BLR) vs Ludogorets (BUL)
Maribor (SVN) vs Mainz (GER)
Gent (BEL) vs Basel (SUI)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs İstanbul Basaksehir (TUR)
Gabala (AZE) vs Puskás Akadémia (HUN)

Second-round ties (8 & 29 November)

Ruh Lviv (UKR) / Sarajevo (BIH) vs Famalicão (POR) / Midtjylland (DEN)
Lech Poznań (POL) / Nantes (FRA) vs Malmö (SWE) / HJK Helsinki (FIN)
Molde (NOR) / Hamilton Academical (SCO) vs AZ Alkmaar (NED) / Klaipeda (LTU)
Sparta Praha (CZE) / Maccabi Haifa (ISR) vs PAFOS (CYP) / Žilina (SVK)
Gent (BEL) / Basel (SUI) vs Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / İstanbul Basaksehir (TUR)
Gabala (AZE) / Puskás Akadémia (HUN) vs Olympiacos (GRE) / Lecce (ITA)
Maribor (SVN) / Mainz (GER) vs Dinamo Minsk (BLR) / Ludogorets (BUL)
Turan Turkistan (KAZ) / Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) vs Universitatea Craiova (ROU) / Partizan (SRB)

Team guide

• AZ Alkmaar won their maiden title last season, beating Hajduk Split, the first time the final had been between two teams from the domestic champions path (although Salzburg had previously won the title from this path in 2016/17).

• Like AZ, Ruh Lviv came through this path last season, getting to the quarter-finals after knocking out Galatasaray and Inter.

• Dinamo Minsk, Famalicão, Istanbul Başakşehir, Klaipėdos, Lecce, Mainz, Pafos, Partizan, Sarajevo, Turan Turkistan and Universitatea Craiova are all making UEFA Youth League debuts.

• For Famalicão, Klaipėdos, Lecce and Turan it is the first time their clubs have been represented in UEFA competition at any level.

Knockout dates

Play-off draw: 19 December, Nyon
Play-offs: 6/7 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 9 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 27/28 February
Quarter-finals: 12/13 March
Semi-finals: 19 April
Final: 22 April

How the draw worked

Draw conditions

• As provided for in Paragraph 15.01 of the 2023/24 UEFA Youth League regulations, the UEFA administration grouped the teams geographically for the first round in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

• The 32 teams were divided into four groups of eight teams (Groups 1 to 4). No teams are seeded.

• Match dates can be changed if UEFA and the participating clubs agree.

• As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Belarus and Ukraine cannot be drawn against each other.

Draw procedure

• For each of the four groups, one pot was prepared with eight balls, each containing the name of one domestic champions path team.

• Starting with Group 1, the eight balls were placed in a bowl and shuffled.

• Two balls were drawn from the bowl one after another. Those teams will play each other with the first ball drawn indicating the home team for the first leg.

• The previous step was repeated with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete all the Group 1 pairings.

• The procedure was then repeated for the other groups.

Draw conditions

• As provided for in Paragraph 15.01 of the 2023/24 UEFA Youth League regulations, the UEFA administration grouped the teams geographically for the second round in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

• The 16 first-round pairings were divided into 2 groups of 8 pairings (Groups A and B). No teams are seeded.

• Group A contained the pairings created in the first half of the first-round draw (teams in first-round draw groups 1 and 2, indicated as 'Winner of match 1' to 'Winner of match 8'). Group B contained the remaining first-round pairings (teams in first-round draw groups 3 and 4, indicated as 'Winner of match 9' to 'Winner of match 16').

• Match dates can be changed if UEFA and the participating clubs agree.

• As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Belarus and Ukraine cannot be drawn against each other.

Draw procedure

• All the Group A pairings were placed in a central bowl and shuffled.

• Two balls were drawn from the bowl one after another. The teams that qualify from each of those pairings will play each other with the first ball drawn indicating the home team for the first leg.

• The previous step was repeated with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete all the Group A pairings.

• The procedure was then repeated for Group B.

Participants

Group 1

1 FC Nantes (FRA)
2 FC Ruh Lviv (UKR)
3 AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
4 PAFOS F.C. (CYP)
5 Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR)
6 KKS Lech Poznań (POL)
7 MŠK Žilina (SVK)
8 FK Sarajevo (BIH)

Group 2

1 FC Famalicão (POR)
2 AZ Alkmaar (NED)
3 Hamilton Academical FC (SCO)
4 Molde FK (NOR)
5 FC Midtjylland (DEN)
6 Malmö FF (SWE)
7 Klaipeda FM (LTU)
8 HJK Helsinki (FIN)

Group 3

1 US Lecce (ITA)
2 FK Partizan (SRB)
3 Olympiacos FC (GRE)
4 PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
5 Universitatea Craiova (ROU)
6 FK Turan Turkistan (KAZ)
7 FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
8 FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)

Group 4

1 1. FSV Mainz 05 (GER)
2 KAA Gent (BEL)
3 FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
4 GNK Dinamo (CRO)
5 İstanbul Basaksehir FK (TUR)
6 Gabala SC (AZE)
7 Puskás Akadémia FC (HUN)
8 NK Maribor (SVN)