Sports

FULL LIST: UEFA Champions League Play-off Draw Unveiled

Published

1 year ago

August 5, 2024

The stage is set for the final hurdle before the group stages, as the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-off round draw took place on Monday, August 5, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw, held at 12:00 CET, determined the matchups that will be played on August 20/21 and 27/28, where teams will vie for a coveted spot in the prestigious tournament’s main event.

PUNCH Online retrieved this from a release obtained from the UCL website on Monday night.

It was titled, “UEFA Champions League play-off round draw.”

Here is the full list of the draws:
Young Boys Bern (SUI) vs. Galatasaray (TUR)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs. Qarabag (AZE) or Ludogorets (BUL)

Midtjylland (DEN) or Ferencvaros (HUN) vs. Slovan Bratislava (SVK) or APOEL Nicosia (CYP)

Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) or Bodo/Glimt (NOR) vs. Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

Malmo (SWE) or PAOK (GRE) vs. Sparta Prague (CZE) or Steaua Bucharest (ROU)

Lille (FRA) or Fenerbahce (TUR) vs Slavia Prague (CZE) or Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) or Rangers (SCO) vs. RB Salzburg (AUT) or Twente (NED)

The PUNCH reports that the UEFA Champions League play-off round draw follows specific procedures to ensure fairness. Teams play home and away matches in a knockout system.

An equal number of seeded and unseeded clubs are paired based on club coefficient rankings. Restrictions prevent certain teams from being drawn against each other.

In the Champions Path, 10 teams were split into five seeded and five unseeded categories. In the league path, four teams were divided into two seeded and two unseeded groups.

The draw determines matchups and home teams for the first legs, with the schedule and kick-off times managed by UEFA.

Sports

AFCON 2025: Super Eagles Players Refuse To Travel For Algeria Game Over Bonuses

Published

17 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Editor

Super Eagles players and coaches have refused to travel to Marrakech due to unpaid bonuses.

This was revealed by BBC Africa journalist, Oluwashina Okeleji, who is in Morocco.

Nigeria are billed to take on Algeria in the quarter-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday evening.

But it is understood they have not paid their bonuses for the four matches they have played.

Eric Chelle’s men beat Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in the group fixtures, before they thrashed Mozambique 4-0 in the Round of 16.

They have taken the decision not to travel or train anymore until the bonuses issue is resolved.

Sports

AFCON: Osimhen Threatens To Dump Super Eagles, Return To Galatasaray

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

Editor

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, reportedly threatened to quit the national team and return to Turkey.

According to Arise News, Osimhen was left fuming following his altercation with Ademola Lookman during the 4-0 win over Mozambique at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.

Having scored a brace thanks to assists from Lookman, the 27-year-old lashed out at his team-mate for failing to pass to him in the 64th minute.

Osimhen then beckoned on the bench asking to be taken off, before he was replaced by Moses Simon.

At full time, Osimhen stormed out of the stadium and dropped his accreditation card, insisting he was “done” with the national team and wanted to fly back to Turkey.

He was then pacified by senior officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.