Seven of the 14 teams taking part will know their fate on August 25 and 26 when they lock horns in the second leg of the 2026 UEFA Champions League playoffs, with league-phase spots up for grabs.
The 14 teams reached this stage through two separate avenues: the Champions Path, which features domestic league winners who fought through gruelling early-summer qualifying rounds, and the League Path, featuring heavyweights who finished just behind the title winners in their respective top-flight domestic leagues.
The first-leg matches were held on August 18-19, with those who made the most of their home or away opportunities looking to finish the job this week and clinch the final seven spots remaining in the newly expanded 36-team single-league phase.
Read more on how the UEFA Champions League playoffs will work: 2026/27 UEFA Europa League play-off predictions: Preview, odds, where to bet & kickoff times
Here is the full preview and predictions for the second-leg matches of the UEFA Champions League playoffs.
Lyon vs Fenerbahce prediction
Lyon welcome Fenerbahçe to the Groupama Stadium on Wednesday night at 10pm with everything still to play for after last week’s 1-1 draw in Istanbul.
Lois Openda gave Lyon an early lead in the first leg, briefly silencing the hostile Şukru Saracoglu crowd, but Fenerbahçe fought back to level the tie.
Now, Lyon are just one win away from returning to Europe’s elite competition for the first time since their 2019 semi-final run.
History also favours the French side, having won five of their last six two-legged Champions League qualifiers and never losing to Fenerbahçe in four previous group-stage meetings.
For Fenerbace, the pressure is real. They have fallen at this stage nine times since 2008 and were dumped out by Benfica last year.
New boss İsmail Kartal is already feeling the heat after a shock league defeat, though Saturday’s 4-2 win over Konyaspor offers some relief.
Talisca remains on fire with five straight goals, but the Turkish giants need a big performance away from home to keep their Champions League dream alive.
Viking FK vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction
Another thrilling fixture to watch this week will see Viking FK host Dinamo Zagreb at the SR-Bank Arena on Wednesday night at 10pm EAT, with both sides level after last week’s entertaining 2-2 first-leg draw in Croatia.
Viking got off to a nightmare start, trailing by two goals inside 10 minutes, but Peter Christiansen and captain Zlatko Tripić dragged them back into the tie.
The Norwegian side have never reached Europe’s top competition and had lost all seven previous two-legged UEFA ties, so this comeback was a massive boost to their confidence.
They currently sit one point off the Eliteserien lead after ending a 34-year title drought last season.
Dinamo Zagreb raced into that early two-goal lead through Dion Drena Beljo and Mateo Lisica but could not hold on. Mislav Orsic even hit the post late on in a frustrating night.
The Croatian champions are aiming for their 10th Champions League group-stage appearance and have won 21 of their last 24 qualifying ties.
They come into this match in perfect domestic form, with three wins from three after beating NK Varaždin 3-1 at the weekend.
AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia prediction
AEK Athens host Levski Sofia on Wednesday night from 10pm, with everything still to play for after a goalless first leg in Bulgaria.
That 0-0 draw means this match is effectively a one-off decider, with no away-goals rule to separate the two sides.
AEK arrive as Greek champions and bounced back from a Super Cup final defeat with a dominant 4-0 league win over Iraklis.
They will be without Milan Vitalis due to cup-tie restrictions, but otherwise have a full squad to choose from. Luka Jović, who scored 17 goals last season, remains their biggest attacking threat.
Levski Sofia are Bulgarian champions and arrive in red-hot form, having demolished Spartak Varna 6-0 in their last outing.
This is the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, and with so much at stake, expect a tense, cagey affair rather than an open shootout in Athens.
Other Champions League playoff fixtures this week
- Sabah FK host Hapoel Beer- Sheva on Tuesday night at the Bank Respublika Arena in Masazir, trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Israel. That one-goal deficit gives Sabah hope of turning things around on home soil.
- LASK face an uphill battle when they welcome Celtic to the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz on Tuesday. Celtic stormed to a 3-0 win in Glasgow, leaving the Austrian side with a mountain to climb if they want to keep their European dream alive.
- FK Bodo/Glimt are in cruise control after a dominant 3-1 away victory over NEC Nijmegen. They return to the Aspmyra Stadion on Tuesday with a comfortable two-goal cushion and one foot in the next round.
- NK Celje and SK Slovan Bratislava meet on Wednesday at the Stadion Z’dezele in Celje after playing out a tight 1-1 draw in the first leg. That result gives Celje a golden chance to advance in front of their own fans, making this the most finely balanced tie of the bunch.
2026/27 UEFA Champions League Play-Off Round, Results Fixtures
Teams involved
- Champions Path: 10 (four teams join the six third qualifying round winners)
- League Path: 4 (the four winners of the third qualifying round)
Kick-off times – East Africa Time
First legs -Tuesday, 18 August
Champions Path
- Levski Sofia 0-0 AEK Athens
- GNK Dinamo 2-2 Viking
League Path
- Fenerbahçe 1-1 Lyon
Wednesday, 19 August
Champions Path
- Hapoel Beer-Sheva 2-1 Sabah
- Celtic 3-0 LASK
- Slovan Bratislava 1-1 Celje
League Path
- N.E.C. 1-3 Bodø/Glimt
2026/27 UEFA Champions League Play-Off Round, second legs fixtures – Tuesday, 25 August
Champions Path
- Sabah vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (19:45)
- LASK vs Celtic (22:00)
League Path
- Bodø/Glimt vs N.E.C. (22:00)
Wednesday, 26 August
Champions Path
- AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia (22:00)
- Viking vs GNK Dinamo (22:00)
- Celje vs Slovan Bratislava (22:00)
League Path
- Lyon vs Fenerbahçe (22:00)
How does it work?
- The winners of each tie advance to the league phase.
- All defeated sides switch to the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.