UEFA Youth League domestic champions path latest: AZ, Genk into third round
The UEFA Youth League domestic champions path is in progress, with AZ Alkmaar and Genk through to the third and final of the two-legged knockout rounds. The rest of the line-up was decided on Wednesday.
The draw for the third round is set, with ten spots in the round of 32. After Tuesday's second legs, Genk earned a tie against HJK Helsinki or 2024/25 runners-up Trabzonspor, and AZ, who won in 2022/23 and made the semis last season, have set up an encounter with Skënderbeu or Aston Villa.
Another former champion, Porto, as well as past semi-finalists Nantes and domestic champions path specialists Midtjylland are among those defending advantages on Wednesday. HJK equalised in the 90th minute of their first leg for a 2-2 draw with Trabzonspor, who had come from behind to lead with both goals by Onuralp Çakıroğlu, a veteran of last season's final.
In all, 50 clubs entered the tournament in this path, with ten teams eventually due to emerge to join the top 22 sides in the UEFA Champions League path in the round of 32. Twenty clubs took part in the ten first-round ties, and the winners of those contests now join the 30 teams beginning in the second round, including former champions AZ and Porto.
Progressing from the first round were teams including debutants KA Akureyri, Shelbourne, Skënderbeu and Víkingur (thanks to a second-leg comeback, earning a maiden success for the Faroe Islands in this competition before falling in the second stage to Genk). Dinamo Tbilisi also got past a round for the first time.
Another newcomer, Larne, had their hearts broken as Racing Union Luxembourg overturned a two-goal deficit from the first leg before winning on penalties to set up a tie with Köln. Elsewhere, Lincoln Red Imps (who were to go out to AZ) secured Gibraltar's first victories in the UEFA Youth League, beating Naxxar Lions home and away.
Full domestic champions path draw bracket
Second round fixtures and results
All times CET
Second legs
Tuesday 4 November
Genk 3-1 Víkingur (agg: 11-1)
Lincoln Red Imps 0-5 AZ Alkmaar (agg: 0-9)
Wednesday 5 November
Crvena Zvezda vs Baník Ostrava (13:00, first leg: 0-0)
FCSB vs Lokomotiva Zagreb (13:00, first leg: 3-2)
2 Korriuku vs Hibernian (13:00, first leg: 0-4)
Sabah vs Nantes (14:00, first leg: 0-5)
Aston Villa vs Skënderbeu (14:00, first leg: 1-1)
Dinamo Tbilisi vs AEK Larnaca (15:00, first leg: 4-3)
Fiorentina vs Legia Warszawa (15:00, first leg: 1-4)
Maccabi Haifa vs Austria Wien (15:30, first leg: 1-1)
Porto vs Bravo (16:00, first leg: 4-0)
Real Betis vs Basel (16:00, first leg: 2-3)
Trabzonspor vs HJK Helsinki (16:00, first leg: 2-2)
PAOK vs KA Akureyri (16:30, first leg: 2-0)
Puskás Akadémia vs Brann (16:30, first leg: 1-1)
Ludogorets vs Dinamo-Minsk (17:00, first leg: 1-0)
Budućnost Podgorica vs Midtjylland (17:00, first leg: 0-3)
Köln vs Racing Union Luxembourg (18:00, first leg: 3-0)
Brommapojkarna vs Dynamo Kyiv (18:00, first leg: 0-1)
Shelbourne vs Žilina (20:45, first leg: 2-2)
First legs
Saturday 1 November
Dinamo-Minsk 0-1 Ludogorets (agg: 0-1)
Thursday 23 October
HJK Helsinki 2-2 Trabzonspor (agg: 2-4)
Wednesday 22 October
Legia Warszawa 4-1 Fiorentina (agg: 5-4)
Lokomotiva Zagreb 2-3 FCSB (agg: 5-5, FCSB win 4-3 on penalties)
Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 Brommapojkarna (agg: 1-1, Dynamo Kyiv win 4-3 on penalties)
AEK Larnaca 3-4 Dinamo Tbilisi (agg: 7-7, Dinamo Tbilisi win 4-3 on penalties)
Midtjylland 3-0 Budućnost Podgorica (agg: 3-0)
Baník Ostrava 0-0 Crvena Zvezda (agg: 0-0, Baník Ostrava win 4-3 on penalties)
Austria Wien 1-1 Maccabi Haifa (agg: 2-2, Maccabi Haifa win 4-3 on penalties)
KA Akureyri 0-2 PAOK (agg: 2-4)
Žilina 2-2 Shelbourne (agg: 4-4, Shelbourne win 5-4 on penalties)
Nantes 5-0 Sabah (agg: 5-0)
Bravo 0-4 Porto (agg: 4-4, Porto win 4-3 on penalties)
Brann 1-1 Puskás Akadémia (agg: 2-2, Puskás Akadémia win 4-3 on penalties)
Racing Union Luxembourg 0-3 Köln (agg: 3-3, Racing Union win 5-4 on penalties)
Basel 3-2 Real Betis (agg: 5-5, Real Betis win 4-3 on penalties)
Hibernian 4-0 2 Korriku (agg: 4-0)
Víkingur 0-8 Genk (agg: 0-11)
Tuesday 21 October
Skënderbeu 1-1 Aston Villa (agg: 1-2)
AZ Alkmaar 4-0 Lincoln Red Imps (agg: 4-0)
Team guide
- In the second round, AEK Larnaca, Baník Ostrava, Bravo, Brommapojkarna and Fiorentina are all making competition debuts.
- KA Akureyri, Shelbourne, Skënderbeu and Víkingur won their own competition debut ties in the first round. Víkingur recorded the Faroe Islands' first UEFA Youth League win.
- Austria Wien and FCSB enter for the first time since the inaugural 2013/14 season (Austria Wien made the round of 16; FCSB went out in the group stage).
- Also starting in the second round are 2024/25 runners-up Trabzonspor and former winners AZ Alkmaar and Porto. Trabzonspor reached the final last season from the domestic champions path, as did AZ when they won the competition in 2022/23.
- Midtjylland have come through the domestic champions path a record seven times from as many attempts.
- Like Trabzonspor, second-round entrants AZ, Dynamo Kyiv, Lokomotiva Zagreb, Midtjylland, Puskás Akadémia and Real Betis all came through the first domestic champions path in this format last season. AZ reached the semi-finals. Basel, Genk, Legia Warszawa and 2 Korriku all lost in the third round.
- FCSB, Köln and Sabah aim to get through a stage for the first time.
- Dinamo-Minsk knocked out Ludogorets in this path in 2023/24.
Third round ties
Dinamo-Minsk / Ludogorets vs AEK Larnaca / Dinamo Tbilisi
Bravo / Porto vs Basel / Real Betis
Austria Wien / Maccabi Haifa vs Nantes / Sabah
Baník Ostrava / Crvena Zvezda vs Žilina / Shelbourne
Racing Union Luxembourg / Köln vs Midtjylland / Budućnost Podgorica
HJK Helsinki / Trabzonspor vs Genk / Víkingur
KA Akureyri / PAOK vs Legia Warszawa / Fiorentina
Lokomotiva Zagreb / FCSB vs Brann / Puskás Akadémia
Dynamo Kyiv / Brommapojkarna vs Hibernian / 2 Korriku
Skënderbeu / Aston Villa vs AZ Alkmaar
Planned match dates 26 November and 10 December 2025
First round results
Second legs
Wednesday 1 October
KA Akureyri 1-0 Jelgava (agg: 3-2)
Rabotnicki 1-7 Shelbourne (agg: 1-12)
Skënderbeu 5-0 Inter Escaldes (agg: 15-0)
HJK Helsinki 4-0 Be1 NFA (agg: 5-1)
Dinamo Tbilisi 3-0 Zrinjski (agg: 4-1)
Racing Union Luxembourg 3-1 Larne (agg: 3-3, Racing Union win 5-4 on penalties)
Lincoln Red Imps 4-1 Naxxar Lions (agg: 6-1)
Víkingur 4-1 Narva Trans (agg: 4-2)
Tuesday 30 September
Dinamo-Minsk 2-0 Ordabasy (agg: 3-1)
Budućnost Podgorica 2-1 Haverfordwest County (agg: 5-3)
First legs
Friday 26 September
Ordabasy 1-1 Dinamo-Minsk (agg: 1-1)
Thursday 18 September
Narva Trans 1-0 Víkingur (agg: 1-1)
Wednesday 17 September
Inter Escaldes 0-10 Skënderbeu (agg: 0-15)
Jelgava 2-2 KA Akureyri (agg: 2-2)
Naxxar Lions 0-2 Lincoln Red Imps (agg: 0-2)
Be1 NFA 1-1 HJK Helsinki (agg: 1-1)
Zrinjski Mostar 1-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (agg: 1-1)
Larne 2-0 Racing Union Luxembourg (agg: 2-0)
Shelbourne 5-0 Rabotnicki (agg: 5-0)
Haverfordwest County 2-3 Budućnost Podgorica (agg: 2-3)
- Be1 NFA, Haverfordwest County, Inter Escaldes, KA Akureyri, Larne, Narva Trans, Naxxar Lions, Odabasy, Rabotnicki, Shelbourne, Skënderbeu and Víkingur were making their UEFA Youth League debuts in the first round. It was Be1 NFA and Naxxar Lions' first club appearances in any UEFA competition.
- Dinamo Tbilisi, Jelgava, Lincoln Red Imps and Racing Union were aiming to get through a UEFA Youth League round for the first time.
