Champions League: Three Ties to Watch in the Second Qualifying Round
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Champions Path vs League Path
The dream continues in the quest to qualify for the 2026-27 Champions League proper with 28 teams remaining set to contest the second qualifying round. The second qualifying round is split into two paths; the Champions Path, for domestic league winners from lower-ranked associations, while the League Path is for runners-up from stronger leagues. The qualifying rounds are settled over two legs, with the losers dropping into Europa League qualifying.
It's about as high stakes as you can get for some of these clubs, with the opportunity to play in the Champions League able to transform a club’s financial standing overnight. This effect is often the most dramatic for sides from smaller leagues, as the UCL money received from participating in the league phase is enough to create a serious financial gap over domestic rivals.
Here are three ties to keep an eye on.
Larne vs Red Star Belgrade (Champions Path)
A captivating tie will kick off at Inver Park in Northern Ireland as NIFL Premiership champions Larne host a European heavyweight in Red Star Belgrade. What makes this matchup so interesting is the sheer difference in size of the two clubs.
Larne is a town of 18,000 people on the County Antrim coast and their ground holds just 1,632 spectators, but the hosts are no pushovers. They’re the reigning champions of Northern Ireland, having claimed three of the last four league titles, and have reached this stage by beating Tre Fiori 3-1 on aggregate in the first round.
The visitors, Red Star, lifted the European Cup in 1991 and are recognisable to football fans around the world. Their UEFA coefficient of 46.5 dwarfs Larne’s 9.0 rating, which highlights the contrast between these two clubs. The Serbian champions are expected to cruise through to the third round, but Larne will surely be up for this one and the atmosphere at Inver Park will be electric. Can Larne pull off the upset? Stranger things have happened in football. See what our experts think in our Larne FC vs Red Star Belgrade prediction.
- Date and time: 21 July, 21:00 BST
- Venue: Inver Park
- Club coefficient: Larne 9.0 / Red Star 46.5
- Referee: Rares Vidican (ROU)
Sturm Graz vs Hearts (League Path)
Next up is one of the most even matchups on paper of the second qualifying round. Sturm Graz toppled RB Salzburg’s decade-long grip on the Austrian Bundesliga with two straight league titles (2023-24 and 2024-25) before finishing as runners-up to LASK last season. They’ve been regular competitors in the UEFA competitions League over the last few seasons, playing the Europa League for three straight years before participating in the league phase of the Champions League for the last two seasons. That gives Die Schwoazn real European pedigree and experience in high-stakes knockout football.
Meeting them will be Hearts, who experienced one of the most gut-wrenching title losses in British football history last season.
The Jam Tarts topped the Scottish Premiership table for 250 days as they would seek to become the first team other than Celtic or Rangers to win the Scottish top flight in more than 40 years. Everything culminated in the last match of the season as Hearts faced Celtic to decide the title. Hearts only had to draw to make history but were not able to hold on as Celtic came back from a goal down to win 3-1 late in the second half.
On a positive note, Hearts get their first crack at Champions League qualifying since 2006, as they look to qualify for the UCL proper for the first time in their history. In what looks to be a really competitive tie, our experts are forecasting goals for the first leg! See the full analysis in our Sturm Graz vs Heart of Midlothian prediction.
- Date and time: 21 July, 20:30 BST
- Venue: Merkur Arena
- Club coefficient: Sturm Graz 28.0 / Hearts 11.5
- Referee: Gergo Bogár (HUN)
Mjällby vs Lincoln Red Imps (Champions Path)
Mjällby stunned European football as a whole last season as they came out of nowhere to win the Swedish Allsvenskan against all odds. Not only that, they finished 13 points clear of second place and set a record points haul of 75. The club is from a tiny fishing village of around 1,500 people called Hällevik, located on Sweden’s southeastern coast.
Mjällby’s triumph is up there with Leicester City’s miraculous run in 2015-16, to give you a better idea of just how unthinkable it was.
Mjällby’s fairytale run will now continue as they step into the continental stage for the very first time in club history on Tuesday. See how our experts think they'll get on in our Mjällby AIF vs Lincoln Red Imps prediction!
They’ll face off against Lincoln Red Imps, who have a genuinely fascinating story themselves. With 30 domestic titles to their name, Lincoln are Gibraltar’s powerhouse club. They made history back in 2021, as they became the first Gibraltar side to reach a European league phase as they qualified for the Conference League. They’d push the bar even higher in the 2025-26 Conference League as they recorded the first league victory in their country’s history, finishing with a 2-1-3 record.
This is their third consecutive year making it to the second qualifying round of the Champions League, although they have never made it past this stage. With plenty of experience building up over the years, will they be able to take advantage of a European footballing rookie in Mjällby?
- Date and time: 21 July, 18:00 BST
- Venue: Strandvallen
- Club coefficient: Mjällby 5.925 / Lincoln 13.5
- Referee: Matthew De Gabriele (MLT)
