Teams progressing through the early Europa League rounds have their eyes on a lucrative spot in the group stage, and even harbour dreams of pushing through to the knockout rounds. To get there, they must earn a spot by playing through the qualifying and playoff rounds, which present tough trips across Europe against equally hungry opponents.

Unlike the Champions League and the Europa Conference League, the Europa League has not yet begun its qualifying stages. Still, in somewhat confusion fashion, the first official round of competition has been named the “third qualifying round” to sync up with the other European competitions.

Only two teams are confirmed to be participating in the third qualifying round of the Europa League: Partizan Belgrade and FC Slovacko. Other recognisable teams such as Qarabag, Ludogorets Razgrad, Fenerbahce, Malmo, Dynamo Kyiv, and others will hope not to be included in the Europa League third qualifying round, as it would mean they were dumped from the more prestigious Champions League.

MORE: Champions League qualifiers 2022: Draws, results, fixtures, and scores

Europa League third qualifying round fixtures and schedule

The matchups for the 2022/23 Europa League third qualifying round were determined at the third qualifying round draw on July 18, 2022 from the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Champions Path

Main Path

How Europa League third qualifying round draw works

The third qualifying round draw will take place before the results of the Champions League second qualifying round are complete, meaning matchups will be drawn as placeholders for eventual participants.

In the Champions Path, there is no seeding. Instead there will be a straight draw for five matchups, with losers in the Champions League second qualifying round Champions Path also entering that strand of the Europa League.

In the Main Path, the two matchups will be drawn to include the two seeded teams, already designated as the qualifying teams we already know, and two unseeded teams that drop down from the Champions League second qualifying round League Path. The two teams entering the Europa League third qualifying round are Partizan Belgrade and FC Slovacko.

Winners from the Europa League third qualifying round will advance to the playoff round, which is the final stage of the Europa League before the group stage. There are 10 places in the group stage reserved for qualifiers from these early rounds of competition.

Teams in the Europa League third qualifying round draw

While the second qualifying round has not even begun yet, the teams will see their names pulled in the third qualifying round draw, so that winners over the next two weeks will know their potential advancement paths before the games kick off.

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. They will all be teams that drop down from the Champions League second qualifying round. Therefore, this portion will not be seeded and instead be a straight draw.

Main 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 did not win the domestic championship.

Teams with an asterisk (*) are guaranteed a place in the third qualifying round as they enter the competition at this stage. All others will come from those dropping down after losses in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round League Path.

** The 2021/22 Ukrainian Premier League season was cut short by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The table was solidified as it stood at its hiatus in February, seeing first-place Shakhtar Donetsk and second-place Dynamo Kyiv as the campaign’s Champions League qualifiers.

How to watch UEFA Europa League 2022/23

Select matches from the Europa 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.

Europa League schedule 2022/23

Preliminary and qualifying rounds schedule

Group stage schedule

The draw for the 2022/23 Europa League group stage will take place on Aug. 26, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Knockout stage schedule

The draw for the 2022/23 Europa League knockout round playoffs will take place on Nov. 7, 2022, and the draw for the Round of 16 will take place on Feb. 24, 2022. The draw for the rest of the 2022/23 Europa League knockout stage will take place on March 17, 2023.

The 2023 Europa League final will take place in Budapest, Hungary on May 31, 2023.