Champions League first qualifying round: The long road to Budapest begins

The first qualifying round of the Champions League begins this week, described as the competition's purest form. It features 28 teams, all national champions, kicking off in Kuopio, Finland. Armenian champions Noah are the only debutants, while San Marino's Virtus are the lowest-ranked team, requiring eight wins to reach the league phase. Only Liechtenstein (no league) and Russia (banned) lack a Champions League spot. This starts the 326-day journey to the 2026 Budapest final.

Historically, progressing from the first round to the group/league phase is rare; only 10 teams have achieved it, including Slovan Bratislava last season. Slovan won four qualifying rounds to reach the league phase, where they lost all eight games. Despite this, they earned over £15m and played 16 matches, only one fewer than eventual champions PSG. A team reaching the final from this stage could play 25 games.

Liverpool (2005-06) are the only team to start in the first qualifying round and reach the knockout stages. As holders who finished fifth domestically, UEFA granted them special dispensation to enter but required them to start in round one. They won three qualifying rounds (beating TNS, FBK Kaunas, CSKA Sofia), won their group, but were eliminated in the last 16.