# 2016–17 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round

The 2016–17 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round began on 28 June and ended on 24 August 2016. A total of 56 teams competed in the qualifying phase and play-off round to decide 10 of the 32 places in the group stage of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League.
All times are CEST (UTC+2).

## Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
| Round | Draw date and time | First leg | Second leg |
| First qualifying round | 20 June 2016, 12:00 | 28–29 June 2016 | 5–6 July 2016 |
| Second qualifying round | 20 June 2016, 12:00 | 12–13 July 2016 | 19–20 July 2016 |
| Third qualifying round | 15 July 2016, 12:00 | 26–27 July 2016 | 2–3 August 2016 |
| Play-off round | 5 August 2016, 12:00 | 16–17 August 2016 | 23–24 August 2016 |

## Format

In the qualifying phase and play-off round, each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule would be applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals were also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time would be played, divided into two 15-minute halves. The away goals rule would be again applied after extra time, i.e., if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team advanced by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie would be decided by penalty shoot-out.
In the draws for each round, teams were seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots. A seeded team was drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs in each tie decided by draw. Due to the limited time between matches, the draws for the second and third qualifying rounds took place before the results of the previous round were known. For these draws (or in any cases where the result of a tie in the previous round was not known at the time of the draw), the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to this round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its defeated opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they are purely for convenience of the draw and for ensuring that teams from the same association are not drawn against each other, and do not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition.

## Teams

There were two routes which the teams were separated into during qualifying:
* Champions Route, which included all domestic champions which do not qualify directly for the group stage.
* League Route (also called the Non-champions Path or the Best-placed Path), which included all domestic non-champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage.
A total of 56 teams (41 in Champions Route, 15 in League Route) were involved in the qualifying phase and play-off round. The 10 winners of the play-off round (5 in Champions Route, 5 in League Route) advanced to the group stage to join the 22 teams which enter in the group stage. The 15 losers of the third qualifying round entered the Europa League play-off round, and the 10 losers of the play-off round enter the Europa League group stage.
Below are the participating teams (with their 2016 UEFA club coefficients), grouped by their starting rounds.
* Key to colours
* Winners of the play-off round advance to the group stage
* Losers of the play-off round enter the Europa League group stage
* Losers of the third qualifying round enter the Europa League play-off round

### Champions Route

Third qualifying round :
| Third qualifying round Team Coeff Olympiacos 70.940 Viktoria Plzeň 44.585 Astra Giurgiu 11.076 | Second qualifying round Team Coeff Red Bull Salzburg 42.520 Celtic 40.460 APOEL 35.935 BATE Borisov 34.000 Legia Warsaw 28.000 Dinamo Zagreb 25.775 Ludogorets Razgrad 25.625 Copenhagen 24.720 Qarabağ 13.475 Rosenborg 12.850 Astana 12.575 Sheriff Tiraspol 10.575 Red Star Belgrade 7.175 Dinamo Tbilisi 5.875 FH 5.750 Trenčín 5.400 F91 Dudelange 5.050 Žalgiris 4.925 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 4.725 Olimpija Ljubljana 4.625 Vardar 4.200 IFK Norrköping 3.975 Ferencváros 3.475 Crusaders 3.400 Zrinjski Mostar 3.175 Dundalk 2.590 Mladost Podgorica 2.475 SJK 1.730 Partizani 1.575 Liepāja 1.075 | First qualifying round Team Coeff The New Saints 5.200 Valletta 4.466 Flora 3.350 FC Santa Coloma 2.699 B36 1.975 Lincoln Red Imps 1.700 Alashkert 1.325 Tre Penne 1.316 |

#### Notes

* $^†$ Skënderbeu (Coeff: 7.825) were excluded from participating in the 2016–17 European competitions by UEFA for match-fixing. They appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and UEFA agreed to suspend the exclusion and Skënderbeu Korçë were included in the second qualifying round draw. The final decision to exclude Skënderbeu was made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 6 July 2016, before the second qualifying round was played. As a result, the berth was given to the runners-up Partizani.

### League Route

Play-off round :
| Play-off round Team Coeff Manchester City 99.256 Porto 92.616 Villarreal 60.142 Borussia Mönchengladbach 42.035 Roma 41.587 | Third qualifying round Team Coeff Shakhtar Donetsk 81.976 Ajax 58.112 Anderlecht 54.000 Fenerbahçe 40.920 Sparta Prague 40.585 PAOK 37.440 Steaua București 36.576 Monaco 36.549 Young Boys 24.755 Rostov 11.716 |

## First qualifying round
### Seeding

A total of eight teams played in the first qualifying round. The draw was held on 20 June 2016.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
| The New Saints Valletta Flora FC Santa Coloma | B36 Lincoln Red Imps Alashkert Tre Penne |

### Summary

The first legs were played on 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 and 6 July 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Flora | 2–3 | Lincoln Red Imps | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| The New Saints | 5–1 | Tre Penne | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Valletta | 2–2 (a) | B36 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| FC Santa Coloma | 0–3 | Alashkert | 0–0 | 0–3 |

### Matches

Lincoln Red Imps won 3–2 on aggregate.
The New Saints won 5–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Valletta won on away goals.
Alashkert won 3–0 on aggregate.

## Second qualifying round
### Seeding

A total of 34 teams played in the second qualifying round: 30 teams which entered in this round, and the four winners of the first qualifying round. The draw was held on 20 June 2016.
| Group 1 | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 3 |
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Red Bull Salzburg Dinamo Zagreb Qarabağ Sheriff Tiraspol Trenčín | F91 Dudelange Hapoel Be'er Sheva Olimpija Ljubljana Vardar Liepāja | APOEL Legia Warsaw Ludogorets Razgrad Astana Skënderbeu Dinamo Tbilisi | The New Saints Žalgiris Ferencváros Zrinjski Mostar Alashkert Mladost Podgorica | Celtic BATE Borisov Copenhagen Rosenborg Red Star Belgrade FH | Lincoln Red Imps IFK Norrköping Crusaders Valletta Dundalk SJK |

#### Notes

* $^†$ Winners of the first qualifying round whose identity was not known at the time of the draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient in the first qualifying round, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their defeated opponent in the draw for the second qualifying round.
* $^{††}$ Skënderbeu would have qualified for the Champions League second qualifying round as the champions of the 2015–16 Albanian Superliga, but were excluded from participating in the 2016–17 European competitions by UEFA for match-fixing. They were included in the second qualifying round awaiting an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and participated in the draw. On 6 July 2016, after their appeal was denied, they were replaced in the Second qualifying round by Partizani.

### Summary

The first legs were played on 12 and 13 July, and the second legs were played on 19 and 20 July 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Qarabağ | 3–1 | F91 Dudelange | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 3–2 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 6–6 (a) | Trenčín | 3–4 | 3–2 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 3–0 | Liepāja | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Vardar | 3–5 | Dinamo Zagreb | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| The New Saints | 0–3 | APOEL | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Zrinjski Mostar | 1–3 | Legia Warsaw | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 5–0 | Mladost Podgorica | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 3–1 | Alashkert | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Žalgiris | 1–2 | Astana | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Partizani | 2–2 (3–1 p) | Ferencváros | 1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
| BATE Borisov | 4–2 | SJK | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Valletta | 2–4 | Red Star Belgrade | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Rosenborg | 5–4 | IFK Norrköping | 3–1 | 2–3 |
| Dundalk | 3–3 (a) | FH | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 1–3 | Celtic | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Crusaders | 0–9 | Copenhagen | 0–3 | 0–6 |

### Matches

Qarabağ won 3–1 on aggregate.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 3–2 on aggregate.
6–6 on aggregate; Trenčín won on away goals.
Red Bull Salzburg won 3–0 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 5–3 on aggregate.
APOEL won 3–0 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 3–1 on aggregate.
Ludogorets Razgrad won 5–0 on aggregate.
Dinamo Tbilisi won 3–1 on aggregate.
Astana won 2–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Partizani won 3–1 on penalties.
BATE Borisov won 4–2 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 4–2 on aggregate.
Rosenborg won 5–4 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Dundalk won on away goals.
Celtic won 3–1 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 9–0 on aggregate.

## Third qualifying round
### Seeding

The third qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections entered the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
A total of 30 teams played in the third qualifying round:
* Champions Route: three teams which enter in this round, and the 17 winners of the second qualifying round.
* League Route: ten teams which enter in this round.
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2016.
| Champions Route | Champions Route | Champions Route | Champions Route | League Route | League Route |
| Group 1 | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 2 | | League Route | League Route |
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Olympiacos Celtic APOEL Legia Warsaw Dinamo Zagreb | Rosenborg Astana Hapoel Be'er Sheva Dinamo Tbilisi Trenčín | Viktoria Plzeň Red Bull Salzburg BATE Borisov Ludogorets Razgrad Copenhagen | Qarabağ Astra Giurgiu Red Star Belgrade Dundalk Partizani | Shakhtar Donetsk Ajax Anderlecht Fenerbahçe Sparta Prague | PAOK Steaua București Monaco Young Boys Rostov |

#### Notes

* $^†$ Winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw. Teams in italics defeated a team with a higher coefficient in the second qualifying round, thus effectively taking the coefficient of their defeated opponent in the draw for the third qualifying round.
* $^{††}$ On 17 July 2014, the UEFA emergency panel ruled that Ukrainian and Russian clubs would not be drawn against each other "until further notice" due to the political unrest between the countries.

### Summary

The first legs were played on 26 and 27 July, and the second legs were played on 2 and 3 August 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Champions Route |||||
| Rosenborg | 2–4 | APOEL | 2–1 | 0–3 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 3–0 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Olympiacos | 0–1 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Astana | 2–3 | Celtic | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Trenčín | 0–1 | Legia Warsaw | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 1–1 (a) | Qarabağ | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Astra Giurgiu | 1–4 | Copenhagen | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| BATE Borisov | 1–3 | Dundalk | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 6–4 | Red Star Belgrade | 2–2 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Partizani | 0–3 | Red Bull Salzburg | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| League Route |||||
| Ajax | 3–2 | PAOK | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sparta Prague | 1–3 | Steaua București | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–2 (2–4 p) | Young Boys | 2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Rostov | 4–2 | Anderlecht | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Fenerbahçe | 3–4 | Monaco | 2–1 | 1–3 |

### Matches

APOEL won 4–2 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 3–0 on aggregate.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva won 1–0 on aggregate.
Celtic won 3–2 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 1–0 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate; Viktoria Plzeň won on away goals.
Copenhagen won 4–1 on aggregate.
Dundalk won 3–1 on aggregate.
Ludogorets Razgrad won 6–4 on aggregate.
Red Bull Salzburg won 3–0 on aggregate.
Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.
Steaua București won 3–1 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate; Young Boys won 4–2 on penalties.
Rostov won 4–2 on aggregate.
Monaco won 4–3 on aggregate.

## Play-off round
### Seeding

The play-off round was split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections entered the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
A total of 20 teams played in the play-off round:
* Champions Route: the ten Champions Route winners of the third qualifying round.
* League Route: five teams which entered in this round, and the five League Route winners of the third qualifying round.
The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2016.
| Champions Route | Champions Route | League Route | League Route |
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| Viktoria Plzeň Red Bull Salzburg Celtic APOEL Legia Warsaw | Dinamo Zagreb Ludogorets Razgrad Copenhagen Hapoel Be'er Sheva Dundalk | Manchester City Porto Villarreal Ajax Borussia Mönchengladbach | Roma Steaua București Monaco Young Boys Rostov |

### Summary

The first legs were played on 16 and 17 August, and the second legs were played on 23 and 24 August 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Champions Route |||||
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 4–2 | Viktoria Plzeň | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Celtic | 5–4 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 5–2 | 0–2 |
| Copenhagen | 2–1 | APOEL | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Dundalk | 1–3 | Legia Warsaw | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 3–2 | Red Bull Salzburg | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| League Route |||||
| Steaua București | 0–6 | Manchester City | 0–5 | 0–1 |
| Porto | 4–1 | Roma | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Ajax | 2–5 | Rostov | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| Young Boys | 2–9 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1–3 | 1–6 |
| Villarreal | 1–3 | Monaco | 1–2 | 0–1 |

### Matches

Ludogorets Razgrad won 4–2 on aggregate.
Celtic won 5–4 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 2–1 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dinamo Zagreb won 3–2 on aggregate.
Manchester City won 6–0 on aggregate.
Porto won 4–1 on aggregate.
Rostov won 5–2 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 9–2 on aggregate.
Monaco won 3–1 on aggregate.

## Statistics

There were 239 goals scored in 92 matches in the qualifying phase and play-off round, for an average of 2.6 goals per match.

### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
| 1 | Andreas Cornelius | Copenhagen | 5 | 434 |
| 1 | Nemanja Nikolić | Legia Warsaw | 5 | 458 |
| 1 | David McMillan | Dundalk | 5 | 486 |
| 1 | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic | 5 | 507 |
| 5 | Raffael | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 4 | 180 |
| 5 | Davy Klaassen | Ajax | 4 | 360 |
| 5 | Wanderson | Ludogorets Razgrad | 4 | 530 |
Source:

### Top assists

| Rank | Player | Team | Assists | Minutes played |
| 1 | Marcelinho | Ludogorets Razgrad | 4 | 537 |
| 1 | Ludwig Augustinsson | Copenhagen | 4 | 540 |
| 3 | Raffael | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 3 | 180 |
Source: