Maccabi Tel Aviv faces opponent from Cyprus in Champions League qualifying draw

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv was paired with Pafos of Cyprus in the Champions League second qualifying round draw on Wednesday.

Maccabi must travel from its home city — which has been under attack this week from Iranian missiles — to Cyprus for the first-leg game on July 22 or 23, and find a stadium outside Israel for the return game the following week.

Advertisement

European soccer body UEFA has required Israel’s national and club teams to play international competition games in neutral countries for security reasons since October 2023, when the Hamas attacks provoked wider conflict in the region.

Maccabi could stay in Cyprus, or return to Hungarian capital Budapest where it hosted a game in the Champions League preliminary round one year ago.

Ukrainian champion Dynamo Kyiv was drawn to play either Zalgiris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta, who start in the first qualifying round next month. Last season, Dynamo chose to host Champions League qualifying games in Lublin, Poland.

UEFA has set a deadline of Monday for clubs to propose neutral venues for their European competition games.

Advertisement

Hours before its opening game at the Club World Cup, Salzburg was paired with Brann in a separate sections for teams that did not win their domestic title. The first leg in Norway will be the Austrian club’s first competitive game on returning from the United States.

In the FIFA club tournament later Wednesday, Salzburg plays Pachuca of Mexico in Cincinnati at 6 p.m. local time.

Scottish league runner-up Rangers will host the first leg against Panathinaikos from Greece, and Viktoria Plzen of Czech Republic was paired with Swiss side Servette.

Three teams in Wednesday’s draw played in the 36-team Champions League opening phase last season, though none advanced to the knockout rounds. Red Star Belgrade was best placed in 29th, Salzburg was 34th and Slovan Bratislava lost all eight games and finished 35th.

Advertisement

Red Star, the 1991 European champion, is away first against Vikingur of the Faeroe Islands or Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar.

Slovan hosts the first leg against Virtus of San Marino or Zrinjski Mostar of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Losing teams in the Champions League second qualifying round switch across to the Europa League, in the third qualifying round that is played in August.

Games in the first qualifying round are played from July 8-16.

Higher-ranked clubs enter the Champions League qualifying program in two subsequent rounds played in August. They include Benfica, Celtic, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Feyenoord.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Ernakulam rural police examine mobile phones seized from counterfeit currency case accused | Kochi News

Kochi: Ernakulam rural police have intensified investigation into a suspected counterfeit currency network after recovering three mobile phones from a 62-year-old man who was arrested for circulating fake notes. The accused, identified as Abdul Rasheed of Pathanapuram in Kollam, was taken into custody by Kuruppampadi police on Thursday.Officers said the phones were also examined by

iQOO 15 unboxed ahead of launch, charging speed downgrade confirmed

iQOO will unveil the iQOO 15 on October 20 at an event in Shenzhen, China. The brand recently shared some pictures of the iQOO 15, revealing its color options and giving us a fair idea of the smartphone’s design. Now, the iQOO 15 has appeared in an unboxing video posted by AnTuTu on Weibo, which

When It Helps And When It Hurts

If you’ve ever wondered why some people sip espresso like water while others end up wired at 3 am, you’re not alone. Coffee divides people – sometimes within the same household – into those who thrive on it and those who suffer the consequences. Mic the Vegan, a popular science communicator with a Master of

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone Air Battery Test Showdown: I Just Crowned A New Winner

Key takeaways: The iPhone 17 Pro Max has outstanding battery life that easily lasts all day with charge to spare. Our exclusive lab data shows you don’t need to pay over a grand for excellent battery life. The $829 iPhone 17’s battery lasts just as long as the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro. The ultrathin iPhone

The latest mobile hotspots deliver 5G to almost any device while sparing your phone’s battery – here’s why businesses won’t want to snooze on the newest technology

Qualcomm’s recent announcement of the Snapdragon X2 Elite shows that the company continues to strengthen its push to gain a foothold in Windows PCs., particularly as Nvidia pumps investment into a reeling Intel. The X2 Elite outperforms Qualcomm’s previous PC offerings in all the important key metrics. But there’s one feature from the company’s early

Oppo Find X9 series coming to India in November

During the annual India Mobile Congress this year, Oppo and MediaTek announced that the Find X9 series will be the first smartphone lineup to feature MediaTek’s latest and greatest Dimensity 9500 SoC, which was announced in late September. That bit isn’t particularly new information, though. The interesting bit about the announcement is that the Find

Headlines from the Coffee Industry

Our recurring round-up of the latest specialty-coffee industry news. FROM STAFF REPORTS Featured image by Joshua Earle World Coffee Research Recognized in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025 World Coffee Research has announced that their Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network was named a Best Invention of 2025 by TIME Magazine. Launched in 2022, Innovea a

Domestic Violence Awareness: Waukesha coffee shops help spread word

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Coffee is serving as a conversation starter in Waukesha County during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Conversation starter What we know: It is a sobering reminder every October from The Women’s Center. Seventy-one people have been killed in Waukesha County acts of domestic violence since 1992.  Advocacy specialist Mo Dempsey said there was

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review

Introduction The Galaxy Tab S11 flagship series premiered at Berlin’s IFA this year and it is available in two sizes – the 11″ Tab S11 and the 14.6″ Tab S11 Ultra. Today, we will explore the larger of these slates, the most premium Samsung tablet right now – the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Thin and

The Best Stovetop Espresso Maker for Design Enthusiasts (2025)

As you know, coffee is life in Italy. But you can still have la dolce vita stateside with the best stovetop espresso maker. Unlike espresso machines that can take up precious counter space, this type of model is typically the size of a tea kettle. The secret to making a great Italian coffee is rooted

Honor’s new teaser details the Magic8 Pro’s telephoto camera

Honor has released some new teasers about its upcoming Magic8 Pro, and specifically about its 200 MP telephoto camera. This will have a 1/1.4″ type sensor, the AIMAGE Honor Nox Engine, a large f/2.6 aperture, and, according to the brand, the industry’s first CIPA 5.5-stop image stabilization. This should handle hand shaking without issue as

Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prohibit Student Cellphone Use in Pennsylvania Schools

Legislation responds to alarming declines in youth mental health, academic achievement, and social engagement.  HARRISBURG – Citing the steep decline in youth mental health and academic performance during the past decade, Sens. Devlin Robinson (R-37), Vince Hughes (D-7), and Steve Santarsiero (D-10) today announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation requiring Pennsylvania schools to adopt policies

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x