UEFA Europa League 2026-27 – 16 July 2026: Match Previews.

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Overview

The UEFA Europa League 2026-27 First Qualifying Round reaches its most important moment in the matches on 16 July. Each side now knows what is needed to make it through the tournament in Europe’s second club competition. There are some teams that are leading in aggregate in the second leg match. Meanwhile, there are other clubs that still need to fight hard in the next game.

The first match brought disciplined defensive performances, entertaining attacking soccer, and some tactical duels that need to be settled. Factors such as momentum, experience, and playing at home will affect the outcome of the return match. Winning teams will progress to the next round of the competition, while losing clubs will participate in the UEFA Conference League.

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: First Qualifying Round Leg 1 Results and Their Impact

The opening week of the UEFA Europa League qualifying campaign produced several fascinating contests. In that, they have left every tie with its own storyline heading into Leg 2.

Dynamo Kyiv maintained possession throughout the game against Universitatea Cluj. But they were unable to capitalize on a good chance. They had a better chance to score when they hit the crossbar late in the game. Therefore, the Ukrainian team could only manage a goalless draw. This leaves the second leg in Romania wide open.

Hajduk Split produced one of the strongest performances of the first round by defeating MŠK Žilina 2-0 at Poljud Stadium. The Croatian side controlled large periods of the match and now travels to Slovakia holding a comfortable two-goal cushion. Žilina must take more attacking risks in the return fixture, which could create additional opportunities for Hajduk on the counterattack.

CSKA Sofia secured an entertaining 3-2 victory over Derry City in one of the highest-scoring games of the round. Although the Bulgarian club claimed the win, conceding two away goals means the tie remains finely balanced. Derry City will take confidence from their attacking display and believe they can overturn the one-goal deficit on home soil.

Ferencváros perhaps claimed the most valuable result by winning 2-1 away against Vojvodina. An away victory places the Hungarian champions firmly in control of the tie. However, Vojvodina showed enough quality during the first leg to suggest they remain capable of causing problems. Only if they can start aggressively in Budapest.

These results have created four very different tactical situations. One tie remains level; two favorites hold narrow or comfortable advantages. Meanwhile, another promises an open attacking contest until the final whistle. The psychological battle now becomes equally as important as the tactical one, with every mistake carrying enormous consequences.

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Event Details

Competition	UEFA Europa League 2026-27
Stage	First Qualifying Round – Second Leg
Date	16 July 2026 (Thursday)
Match Format	Second Leg – Two-legged Knockout Tie
Organiser	UEFA

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Upcoming Schedule

U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:30 PM ET | 10:30 AM PT | 11:00 PM IST

Venue: Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca

Derry City vs CSKA Sofia

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:30 PM ET | 10:30 AM PT | 11:00 PM IST

Venue: The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Derry

Aluminij vs Sheriff

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM PT | 11:30 PM IST

Venue: Ljudski Vrt Stadium, Slovenia

Ferencváros vs Vojvodina Novi Sad

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:15 PM ET | 11:15 AM PT | 11:45 PM IST

Venue: Groupama Arena, Budapest

MŠK Žilina vs Hajduk Split

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:30 PM ET | 11:30 AM PT | 12:00 AM IST (Next day)

Venue: Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina

Vestri vs Qarabağ

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 04:00 PM ET | 01:00 PM PT | 01:30 AM IST (Next day)

Venue: Valbjarnarvöllur, Reykjavík

Match Previews

U Cluj vs Dynamo Kyiv

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:30 PM ET | 10:30 AM PT | 11:00 PM IST

Venue: Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Expected Lineups

Universitatea Cluj

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Stefan Lefter, Neofytos Michael, Tudor Coșa
Defenders	Alin Chinteș, Andrei Coubiș, Iulian Cristea, Florent Poulolo, Dino Mikanović, Alexandru Chipciu, Alin Techereș
Midfielders	Mouhamadou Drammeh, Dorin Codrea, Dan Nistor, Friday Adams, Pedro Pinho, Jug Stanojev, Ovidiu Bic, Gabriel Simion
Forwards	Atanas Trică, Marius Ștefănescu, Issouf Macalou, Ibuchi Chukwu, Alibek Aliev, Oucasse Mendy

Dynamo Kyiv

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Ruslan Neshcheret, Illya Olkhovyi, Viacheslav Surkis
Defenders	Kostiantyn Vivcharenko, Maksym Korobov, Oleksandr Tymchyk, Oleksiy Gusiev, Taras Mykhavko, Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Kristian Bilovar, Vladyslav Dubinchak, Aliou Thiare, Denys Dykyi, Tomasz Kędziora
Midfielders	Volodymyr Brazhko, Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleksandr Pikhalonok, Nazar Voloshyn, Mykola Shaparenko, Pavlo Liusin, Valentyn Rubchynskyi, Roman Salenko, Kyrylo Osypenko, Justin Lonwijk, Vladyslav Kabaiev, Navin Malysh, Vitaliy Buialskyi, Bohdan Redushko, Mykola Mykhailenko
Forwards	Matvii Ponomarenko, Shola Ogundana, Eduardo Guerrero, Vladyslav Herych, Pierre Mounguengue

Team Analysis

The scoreless UEFA Europa League 2026-27 first leg makes this one an evenly poised contest. Dynamo Kyiv enjoyed the majority of possession and had more attempts on goal than their opponents. They failed to make good of those chances in front of the goal. Universitatea Cluj kept a disciplined rearguard formation and will feel confident having kept a shutout. With their home advantage, the Romanian team needs to take risks and play a well-organized defense in the second leg. Dynamo Kyiv needs to work on their attacking runs and finish the game early.

The Pick: Dynamo Kyiv

Derry City vs CSKA Sofia

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 01:30 PM ET | 10:30 AM PT | 11:00 PM IST

Venue: Brandywell Stadium, Derry

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Expected Lineups

Derry City

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Brian Maher, Tom Norcott, Shea Callister
Defenders	Barry Cotter, Patrick Mcclean, Jamie Stott, Robert Slevin, Brandon Fleming, Conor Barr, Christy Grogan, Oisin O’Brien
Midfielders	Michael Duffy, Adam O’Reilly, Ellis Chapman, James Clarke, James McClean, Nick Twisk, Carl Winchester, Kevin dos Santos, Cameron Dummigan, James Olayinka, Liam Kelly
Forwards	Liam Boyce, Terence Doherty, Caolan O’Donnell

CSKA Sofia

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Georgi Gerginov, Fedor Lapoukhov, Dimitar Evtimov, Daniel Nikolov
Defenders	Pastor, Tamimou Ouorou, Teodor Ivanov, Angelo Martino, Andrey Yordanov, Facundo Rodrigues, Lachezar Ivanov, Aleks Tunchev, Bozhidar Petrov
Midfielders	Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Bruno Jordão, Maks Ebong, Stefano Sensi, Mohamed Brahimi, Petko Panayotov, Alesandro Nikolov, Georgi Chorbadzhiyski, Isaac Solet, James Eto’o
Forwards	Leandro Godoy, Joel Zwarts, Yulian Gilov, Ioannis Pittas, Vasil Kaymakanov, Léo Pereira, Alejandro Piedrahita

Team Analysis

CSKA Sofia won the first leg by a margin of 3-2, making the tie quite evenly poised. Despite having shown their attacking powers, the fact that they have conceded two goals means they cannot afford to be complacent. Derry City can take heart from having scored on the road and now returning home with great backing. Derry City must press higher and defend better while in transition situations. CSKA must maintain their positive approach and not try to be defensively cautious despite their narrow lead.

The Pick: CSKA Sofia

Ferencváros vs Vojvodina Novi Sad

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:15 PM ET | 11:15 AM PT | 11:45 PM IST

Venue: Groupama Arena, Budapest

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Expected Lineups

Ferencváros

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Ádám Varga, Levente Őri, Dániel Radnóti, Dénes Dibusz
Defenders	Mariano Gómez, Nathan Zohore, Attila Osváth, Cadu, Endre Botka, Toon Raemaekers, Olivér Nagy, Csongor Lakatos
Midfielders	Naby Keïta, Jonathan Levi, Daniel Arzani, Kristoffer Zachariassen, Marius Corbu, Ádám Bagi, Aleksandar Ćirković, Gabi Kanichowsky, Callum O’Dowda, Edgar Sevikyan, Philippe Rommens
Forwards	Elton Acolatse, Bamidele Yusuf, Benjámin Gólik, Zsombor Gruber, Zétény Varga, Szilárd Szabó, Lenny Joseph, Krisztián Lisztes

Vojvodina Novi Sad

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Matija Gočmanac, Dragan Rosić, Bogdan Bogdanović
Defenders	Djordje Crnomarković, Siniša Tanjga, Mihai Butean, Lucas Barros, Kornél Szűcs, Hamza Redžić
Midfielders	Marko Poletanović, Stefan Mitrović, Marko Veličković, Dejan Zukić, Marko Mladenovic, Njegoš Petrović, Dragan Kokanović, Lazar Nikolić, Lazar Peranović, Petar Sukačev, Jovan Ostojić, Ifet Đakovac, Andrej Pivaš
Forwards	Aleksa Vukanović, Damjan Đokanović, Milan Kolarević, Vuk Boškan, Milutin Vidosavljević, Lazar Randjelović, Nardin Mulahusejnović

Team Analysis

The home side secured a precious 2-1 win at their opponent’s ground. Now, they are coming back home in a strong position in the second leg tie. Ferencvaros were dominant in crucial moments, and they played confidently when under pressure. It is still possible for Vojvodina to qualify from this tie, but they will have to be much more attacking. This could give room for Ferencvaros to take advantage during counterattacks. The hosts have an excellent midfield dominance and also support at home to control the game’s rhythm.

The Pick: Ferencváros

MŠK Žilina vs Hajduk Split

Date: 16 July 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 02:30 PM ET | 11:30 AM PT | 12:00 AM IST (Next day)

Venue: Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina

UEFA Europa League 2026-27: Expected Lineups

MŠK Žilina

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Jakub Badžgoň, Tamás Tarcsi, Bruno Valko, Dávid Šipoš
Defender	Marek Okál, Issah Mohammed, Marco Bortoli, Michal Svoboda, Ján Minárik, Abdul Majid Ibrahim, Krisztián Bari, Samuel Ďatko, Filip Kaša, Aleksandre Narimanidze, Tobiáš Pališčák
Midfielder	Xavier Adang, Andrei Florea, Fabian Bzdyl, Patrik Iľko, Timotej Hranica, Michal Faško, Miroslav Káčer, Róbert Petruška
Forward	František Kóša, Patrik Baleja, Denis Alijagić, Lukáš Prokop, Daniel Homet, Talla Diouf, Marko Roginic

Hajduk Split

Position	Players
Goalkeeper	Ivica Ivušić, Toni Silić, Dante Stipica, Davyd Fesyuk
Defender	Roko Gabrić, Alec Van Hoorenbeeck, Ron Raçi, Dario Maresic, Dario Melnjak, Mathieu Acapandie, Fran Karačić, Šimun Hrgović, Marino Skelin, Luka Hodak
Midfielder	Adrion Pajaziti, Niko Sigur, Anđelo Šutalo, Etnik Brruti, Alberto Del Moral, Rokas Pukštas, Adam Huram, Noa Skoko, Illia Kutia, Mihael Žaper
Forward	Abdoulie Sanyang, Dalisson De Almeida, Marko Livaja, Michele Šego, Roko Brajković

Team Analysis

Hajduk Split delivered an assured display during the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 first leg match. They managed to win convincingly by a scoreline of 2-0 thanks to solid defending and good finishing. The win provides the team with an easy cushion going into the game in Slovakia. The hosts will need to go on the attack from the first minute. If they hope to turn the tables around, but in doing so, they may find themselves vulnerable defensively. Hajduk Split should be compact in defense and use the counterattack when possible.

The Pick: Hajduk Split

Conclusion

Concluding the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 First Qualifying Round leg 2. There are four critical second-leg matches that will decide which teams qualify for the next round. From a perfectly even first leg match between Universitatea Cluj and Dynamo Kyiv, the first leg has posed various challenges. This includes a clear aggregate lead by Hajduk Split, CSKA Sofia, and Ferencváros. All teams will have to strike a balance between attack and defense since qualification is up for grabs. Considering how well each team performed in the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 first leg and their results. Dynamo Kyiv, Hajduk Split, CSKA Sofia, and Ferencváros all appear to be favorites heading into the second leg matches.