Champions League Playoff Round: Second-Leg Preview (Aug 25-26)
The first legs are in the books and the picture is starting to clear. Seven ties, seven shots at the last remaining places in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase — here's where every tie stands heading into the second legs on August 25 and 26.
Celtic and Bodø/Glimt Look Nearly Through
Celtic thrashed LASK 3-0 in Glasgow and travel to Linz on August 25 needing anything short of a three-goal defeat to reach the league phase for a third straight season.
Bodø/Glimt did the damage away from home, beating NEC Nijmegen 3-1 in the Netherlands — a result that leaves the Norwegian league leaders in near-total control of the tie when it resumes in Bodø on August 25.
Fenerbahçe vs Lyon: Still Anyone's Tie
The tie with the most riding on it finished level, 1-1 in Istanbul — and with UEFA competitions no longer using away goals as a tiebreaker, the second leg in Lyon on August 26 is a genuinely open contest.
Both clubs arrive with plenty to prove: Lyon are trying to rebuild their European standing after years of financial turmoil, while Fenerbahçe are chasing a first Champions League league-phase appearance since the format changed.
The Other Five Ties
Three more first legs ended level — Levski Sofia 0-0 AEK Athens, Dinamo Zagreb 2-2 Viking, and Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Celje — meaning all three go into their second legs on August 26 as genuine coin-flips.
Hapoel Be'er-Sheva hold a slim 2-1 edge over Sabah heading into their second leg in Baku on August 25, the tightest lead of any tie in the round.
What's on the Line
The seven winners join the 29 clubs already locked into Pots 1 through 4, completing the 36-club field with just one day to spare before the league phase draw in Monaco on August 27.
Every loser drops into the Europa League league phase instead — a real consolation, but not the competition any of these seven clubs set out to reach this summer.