The third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League has produced several enticing ties as clubs including Europa League finalists Rangers bid to make it to the group stage of Europe's most prestigious club competition.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side will face Belgian opposition in Union Saint-Gilloise over two legs — and they will have extra confidence because the second leg is scheduled for their Ibrox home.
Moldovan club Sheriff will be dreaming of more upsets after beating the eventual champions, Real Madrid, in their group stage debut at the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
Among the other eye-catching fixtures, former finalists Monaco take on Dutch heavyweights PSV Eindhoven. The Sporting News brings you the full draw.
MORE: Champions League qualifiers 2022: Draws, results, fixtures, and scores
Champions League 3rd qualifying round fixtures and results
First team listed was unseeded in the draw and hosts the first leg.
Champions Path
| Match | Leg 1 | Leg 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs. Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) | Wed, Aug. 3 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Ludogorets (Bulgaria) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) | Tue, Aug. 2 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| FC Sheriff (Moldova) vs. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Rep.) | Tue, Aug. 2 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Bodo/Glimt (Norway) vs. Zalgiris (Lithuania) | Wed, Aug. 3 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| FK Qarabag (Azerbaijan) vs. Ferencvaros (Hungary) | Wed, Aug. 3 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) vs. Pyunik (Armenia) | Wed, Aug. 3 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
League Path
| Match | Leg 1 | Leg 2 |
|---|---|---|
| AS Monaco (France) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) | Tue, Aug. 2 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) vs. Sturm Graz (Austria) | Wed, Aug. 3 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) vs. Rangers (Scotland) | Tue, Aug. 2 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
| Benfica (Portugal) vs. FC Midtjylland (Denmark) | Tue, Aug. 2 | Tue, Aug. 9 |
The matchups were determined at the Third Qualifying Round Draw, which took place at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. BST) on July 18, 2022 from the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Teams in Champions League 3rd round qualifying
The teams that are in the third round of qualifying find themselves either on the Champions Path or on the League Path.
Champions Path
The teams in the Champions Path all earned their place in the competition by winning their domestic league title in its previous full season.
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) enter the competition for the first time at this stage.
| Country | Club | Seeded/ Unseeded | How Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | FC Pyunik | Seeded | 1st - Armenian Premier League |
| Azerbaijan | Qarabag | Unseeded | 1st - Azerbaijan Premier League |
| Bulgaria | Ludogorets Razgrad | Unseeded | 1st - First Professional Football League |
| Croatia | Dinamo Zagreb | Seeded | 1st - Croatian HNL |
| Cyprus | Apollon Limassol | Seeded | 1st - Cypriot First Division |
| Czech Republic | Viktoria Plzen | Seeded | 1st - Czech First League |
| Hungary | Ferencvaros | Seeded | 1st - Nemzeti Bajnoksag |
| Israel | Maccabi Haifa | Unseeded | 1st - Israeli Premier League |
| Lithuania | Zalgiris | Seeded | 1st - A Lyga |
| Moldova | Sheriff Tiraspol | Unseeded | 1st - Moldovan Nat. Division |
| Norway | Bodo/Glimt | Unseeded | 1st - Eliteserien |
| Serbia | Red Star Belgrade | Unseeded | 1st - Serbian SuperLiga |
League Path
The teams in the League Path all earned their place in the competition by securing qualifying positions in their domestic league's previous full season, but they did not win their domestic championship.
Benfica (Portugal), Rangers (Scotland), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) AS Monaco (France), Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium), and Sturm Graz (Austria) all enter the tournament at this stage. They join Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) and FC Midtjylland (Denmark) who survived the second round of qualifying.
| Country | Club | Seeded/ Unseeded | How qualified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Strum Graz | Seeded | 2nd - Austrian Bundesliga |
| Belgium | Union Saint-Gilloise | Unseeded | 2nd - Belgian First Division |
| Denmark | FC Midtjylland | Seeded | 2nd - Danish Superliga |
| France | AS Monaco | Unseeded | 3rd - Ligue 1 |
| Netherlands | PSV Eindhoven | Seeded | 2nd - Eredivisie |
| Portugal | Benfica | Unseeded | 3rd - Primeira Liga |
| Scotland | Rangers | Seeded | 2nd - Scottish Premiership |
| Ukraine | Dynamo Kyiv | Unseeded | 2nd - Ukrainian Premier League |
How the Champions League third qualifying round draw works
The third qualifying round draw took place before the results of the second qualifying round were complete, and because of this, the seeding was determined by taking the highest ranked team in each matchup per the UEFA club coefficient.
That's why there are lower-ranked teams in the UEFA club coefficient that find themselves as seeded teams in the third round of qualifying.
In the draw, seeded teams were drawn against unseeded teams in both the Champions Path and League Path to create the matchups for the third qualifying round. A separate draw was completed for each path.
There were also eight teams — two in the Champions Path and six in the League Path — that entered the competition in the third qualifying round, and their presence was guaranteed.
Winners from the third qualifying round will advance to the playoff round, which is the final stage of the Champions League qualifying rounds before the group stage. The playoffs will determine the final six teams to joint the group stage of the competition.
How to watch UEFA Champions League 2022/23
| Country | TV channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| UK | BT Sport 1/BT Sport Ultimate | BT Sport app, BT Sport YouTube |
| USA | CBS (EN), Univision/TUDN (ESP) | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX |
| Australia | 9Gem | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
Select matches from the Champions League preliminary rounds are available for broadcast, chosen by the broadcast partner for each market.
Per UEFA, other select matches are made available for streaming by the home team, often via their official YouTube page.
Champions League schedule 2022/23
Preliminary and qualifying rounds schedule
| Round | Draw | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | June 7, 2022 | June 21, 2022 | June 24, 2022 |
| First qualifying round | June 14, 2022 | July 5-6, 2022 | July 12-13, 2022 |
| Second qualifying round | June 15, 2022 | July 19-20, 2022 | July 26-27, 2022 |
| Third qualifying round | July 18, 2022 | Aug. 2-3, 2022 | Aug. 9-10, 2022 |
| Playoff round | Aug. 1, 2022 | Aug. 16-17, 2022 | Aug. 23-24, 2022 |
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage will take place on Aug. 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 6-7, 2022 |
| 2 | Sept. 13-14, 2022 |
| 3 | Oct. 4-5, 2022 |
| 4 | Oct. 11-12, 2022 |
| 5 | Oct. 25-26, 2022 |
| 6 | Nov. 1-2, 2022 |
Knockout stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League Round of 16 will take place on Nov. 7, 2022. The draw for the rest of the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stage will take place on March 17, 2023.
| Round | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Feb. 14-22, 2023 | Mar. 7-15, 2023 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 11-12, 2023 | Apr. 18-19, 2023 |
| Semifinals | May 9-10, 2023 | May 16-17, 2023 |
| Final | June 10, 2023 | |