UEFA Europa League 2026-27: 3rd Qualifying Round Leg 2 Picks
Introduction
UEFA Europa League 2026-27 reaches its decisive 3rd qualifying round, leg 2. The stage is set for an intense fight night of European football. Each club is one step ahead of the playoff for these qualifying rounds. Every team is looking for a spot in the playoff within touching distance. The clubs are preparing for a high-energy clash for the full 90 minutes that will define their strength and tactics. The UEFA Europa League Leg 1 fixtures left many ties balanced on a marginal edge with small aggregates. The stadium atmosphere is filled with fans and ready for the clubs’ showdown. The UEFA Europa League Leg 2 fixtures will promise more excitement, strategic approaches, and comebacks. The clubs are fighting to keep their European dreams alive with these results.
UEFA Europa League: 3rd qualifying round 1st Leg Recap
The UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round leg 1 had delivered major impacts for the clubs and managers. FC Red Bull Salzburg won against Pafos FC with a late 88th-minute winner, resulting in a 1-0 win. Beşiktaş J.K also had a tough field game against FC Hradec Králové, but won with an aggregate of 1-0. Meanwhile, Ferencváros, in front of their home fans, made a terrific win against Górnik Zabrze in a very intense, controlled match. PFC CSKA Sofia totally dismantled Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 on the road. Salzburg, Beşiktaş, Ferencváros, and CSKA Sofia now hold the aggregate advantages heading into the decisive UEFA Europa League 2nd leg.
UEFA Europa League: Upcoming Schedules
S. No.
Teams
Date
Time
Venue
1
Saburtalo vs Larne
11 August 2026
12:00 PM ET 09:00 AM PT 09:30 PM IST
“Mikheil Meskhi” Stadium, Georgia
2
Omonoia vs Lincoln Red Imps
13 August 2026
01:00 PM ET 10:00 AM PT 10:30 PM IST
GSP Stadium, Strovolos
3
Craiova vs KuPS
13 August 2026
01:00 PM ET 10:00 AM PT 10:30 PM IST
Ion Oblemenco Stadium, Craiova
4
Pafos vs RB Salzburg
13 August 2026
01:00 PM ET 10:00 AM PT 10:30 PM IST
Alphamega Stadium, Kolossi
5
Beşiktaş vs Hradec Králové
13 August 2026
01:00 PM ET 10:00 AM PT 10:30 PM IST
Tüpraş Stadium, Beşiktaş
6
Górnik Zabrze vs Ferencváros
13 August 2026
01:00 PM ET 10:00 AM PT 10:30 PM IST
Arena Zabrze, Zabrze
7
KÍ vs Lech Poznań
13 August 2026
01:30 PM ET 10:30 AM PT 11:00 PM IST
Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn
8
Víkingur Reykjavík vs Thun
13 August 2026
01:30 PM ET 10:30 AM PT 11:00 PM IST
Víkin, Reykjavík
9
CSKA Sofia vs M. Tel-Aviv
13 August 2026
02:00 PM ET 11:00 AM PT 11:30 PM IST
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
10
Anderlecht vs PAOK
13 August 2026
02:30 PM ET 11:30 AM PT 12:00 AM IST (Next day)
Lotto Park, Anderlecht
11
Rangers vs Jagiellonia Białystok
13 August 2026
02:30 PM ET 11:30 AM PT 12:00 AM IST (Next day)
Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
12
Hearts vs Benfica
13 August 2026
02:45 PM ET 11:45 AM PT 12:15 AM IST (Next day)
Tynecastle Park
13
Egnatia vs Shamrock Rovers
13 August 2026
03:00 PM ET 12:00 PM PT 12:30 AM IST (Next day)
Arena Egnatia, Rrogozhinë
Match Previews
After an intense battle in the UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round, leg 1. The clubs are ready to show their full strength to earn their spot in the playoff through leg 2. The UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying round leg, 2 selected match analysis is given below.
First Leg Result: FC Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 Pafos FC
Current Aggregate: 1-0 (Salzburg Leads)
FC Redbull Salzburg had a narrow lead in the UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round, Leg 2. They won over Pafos FC on aggregate 1-0, with Salzburg taking a home victory in the 1st Leg. Haris Tabaković scored a spectacular goal in the 88th-minute of the match to breathe new life into the team. Even though they lost, Pafos FC proved they are highly competitive and can frustrate opponents.
Traditionally, Pafos FC is much stronger on their home soil in Cyprus than away. They overturned a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Hajduk Split. They also won their leg 2 match 4-0 on their home ground against Hajduk Split. To move to the next level, Pafos must push forward with their squad to secure their spot. Pafos will try to keep Salzburg quiet and rely on their defensive stability. But Salzburg’s wingers and striker have the ability to fully dominate and dismantle the opponent’s defense. Even though a narrow tie happened in the first leg, I expect Salzburg to dominate and follow the same tempo.
The Pick: RB Salzburg
Beşiktaş vs Hradec Králové
Date: 13 August 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 01:00 PM ET | 10:00 AM PT | 10:30 PM IST
Venue: Tüpraş Stadium, Beşiktaş
Expected Team Lineups
Beşiktaş
Position
Players
Goalkeeper
Alexander Nübel
Defenders
Michael Amir Murillo, Tiago Djaló, Emirhan Topçu, Rıdvan Yılmaz
Defensive Midfielders
Salih Özcan, Orkun Kökçü
Attacking Midfielders
Václav Černý, Junior Olaitan, İlhan Fakılı
Striker
Oh Hyeon-gyu or (Semih Kılıçsoy)
Hradec Králové
Position
Players
Goalkeeper
Adam Zadražil
Defenders
František Čech, Filip Cihak, Daniel Horák
Midfielders
Jakub Uhrinčať, Samuel Dancák, Vladimír Darida, Jakub Kučera
Attacking Midfielders
Tom Slončík, Ondřej Mihálik
Striker
Mick van Buren
Team Analysis
First Leg Result: FC Hradec Králové 0-1 Beşiktaş J.K.
Current Aggregate: 1-0 (Beşiktaş Leads)
Beşiktaş J.K. tried their best to secure their spot in European competition. They made a safe win over FC Hradec Králové with an aggregate of 1-0 in the 1st leg. They tried to keep a clean sheet in the qualifying rounds. They planned to avoid sustained pressure, which could expose their defensive weakness. They came back home to the Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul, which is more favorable for them. The Turkish giants will look to continue their tempo to confirm their playoff spot.
FC Hradec Králové have struggled a lot to break down Beşiktaş’s formation. Now they need to face the important task of attacking them in their own environment. Beşiktaş had a perfect defensive record across their last three European qualifying matches. They have already shown their strength and tactical playmaking to the world. The Hradec head coach Vincenzo Italiano made a forced change at the left-back position. He also planned for too much squad depth and tactical foundation to hand the Czech outfit.
The Pick: Beşiktaş
Górnik Zabrze vs Ferencváros
Date: 13 August 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 01:00 PM ET | 10:00 AM PT | 10:30 PM IST
Venue: Arena Zabrze, Zabrze
Expected Team Lineups
Górnik Zabrze
Position
Players
Goalkeeper
Philipp Schulze
Defenders
Michal Sáček, Rafał Janicki, Paweł Bochniewicz, Ondřej Zmrzlý
Midfielders
Paulo Bernardo, Yvan Ikia Dimi, Kacper Urbański
Forwards
Taofeek Ismaheel, Erik Prekop, Maximilian Dietz
Ferencváros
Position
Players
Goalkeeper
Dénes Dibusz
Defenders
Aleksander Osváth, Thijs Raemaekers, Matías Gómez, Cristian Lopes Cruz
Defensive Midfielders
Gadi Kanichowsky, Marius Corbu
Attacking Midfielders
Kristoffer Zachariassen, Jonathan Levi, Bamidele Yusuf
Striker
Lenny Joseph
Team Analysis
First Leg Result: Ferencvárosi TC 1-0 Górnik Zabrze
Current Aggregate: 1-0 (Ferencváros Leads)
Ferencvárosi TC went to Poland to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Górnik Zabrze. At the 65th minute, Marius Corbu scored a fantastic goal against Zabrze. This created an advantage for Ferencvárosi and maintained the same performance until the last minute. The 1st leg was very solid, with low possibilities of scoring opportunities and minimal clear-cut chances.
Górnik Zabrze made a strong domestic win against Radomiak Radom over the weekend. As a result, they won 3-1, which proves they have the ability to score goals when they play aggressively. This especially happens in front of their home fans. Ferencváros struggled themselves in their pathway to the competition recently. They bagged four goals against Paksi SE in their domestic game. Górnik will be hard enough at home and will clearly give a tough time to the opponents till the last minute. Their dominance and toughness will create high-scoring chances and make the match slightly favor them.
Pastor, Max Ebong, Stefano Sensi, Bruno Jordão, Angelo Martino
Attacking Midfielder
Ioannis Pittas
Striker
Leandro Godoy
M. Tel-Aviv
Position
Players
Goalkeeper
Ofek Melika
Defenders
Tyrese Asante, Raz Shlomo, Mohamed Ali Camara, Noam Ben Harush
Defensive Midfielders
Issouf Sissokho, Itamar Noy
Attacking Midfielders
Hélio Varela, Dor Peretz, Ido Shahar
Striker
Sayed Abu Farchi
Team Analysis
First Leg Result: Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-3 PFC CSKA Sofia
Current Aggregate: 3-0 (CSKA Sofia Leads)
This chaotic tie is spectacular after PFC CSKA Sofia won against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1st Leg. A clean win for Sofia with an aggregate of 3-0. Max Ebong, Santiago Godoy, and Joël Zwarts finished smartly on the field. They completely dominated the Israeli side on their own patch.
Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. has no option but to win leg 2. They need to perform an ultra-aggressive, high-speed strategy right from the start of the match. This will help them to overcome the aggregate deficit against Sofia. This is impossible for Maccabi Tel Aviv against a highly organized CSKA Sofia. They are excellent in their transitions and mid-block defense. CSKA Sofia will try to pass the time by playing it like a practice game. They won’t absorb the pressure and pick off the visitors on the break.
The Pick: CSKA Sofia
Conclusion
The UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds came to an end once the final whistle was blown. The end of the qualifying rounds will see the complete playoff round clashes in the upcoming UEFA Europa League. UEFA Europa League Leg 2 will reward us with technical, tactical approach, consistent under pressure, and smart finishing. Similarly, other teams are carrying comfortable aggregate leads and are subtle in the table. European football is famous for its excellent turnarounds and last-minute unexpected finishes. The clubs that successfully managed the pressure throughout the game will advance to the final. The final hurdle before the league phase will be harder than expected for the clubs. Meanwhile, the defeated teams will be relegated and tend to focus back on their domestic competition.