Champions League third round qualification draw: who will Rangers play, key dates and play-off explained

The ties for the third round of Champions League qualification 2022/23 have been decided.
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Rangers will face Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in the third qualifying round of this year’s Champions League after learning their fate in a draw on Monday morning.

The Gers’ second-placed finish in last season’s Scottish Premiership secured them a passage to the League Path of the qualifying rounds for Europe’s elite tournament.

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Gio van Bronckhorst’s men have been rewarded for their efforts with a two-legged tie against a side who just missed out on the Belgian title to Club Brugge last term.

Here’s everything you need to know about the draw, as well as what comes next for the participating teams...

What is the draw for the Champions League third qualifying round?

The draw was carried out on Monday morning, with a number of sides from across Europe learning their qualifying fate.

Several clubs still have second round qualification matches to complete, meaning that the draw at this stage still contains a number of variable fixtures.

The full draw is as follows:

*Seeded teams are in bold.

Champions Path draw

  • Maccabi Haifa (ISR) / Olympiacos (GRE) vs Apollon Limassol (CYP)
  • Qarabağ (AZE) / Zürich (SUI) vs Ferencváros (HUN) / Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
  • Ludogorets (BUL) / Shamrock Rovers (IRL) vs Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / Shkupi (MKD)
  • Maribor (SVN) / Sheriff (MDA) vs HJK Helsinki (FIN) / Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
  • Linfield (NIR) / Bodø/Glimt (NOR) vs Žalgiris (LTU) / Malmö (SWE)
  • Crvena zvezda (SRB) vs Pyunik (ARM) / Diddeleng (LUX)

League Path draw

  • Monaco (FRA) vs PSV Eindhoven (NED)
  • Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) / Fenerbahçe (TUR) vs Sturm Graz (AUT)
  • Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) vs Rangers (SCO)
  • Benfica (POR) vs Midtjylland (DEN) / AEK Larnaca (CYP)

When is the Champions League third qualifying round?

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The third round of this year’s Champions League qualification will take place over two legs, with the first being played on August 2nd/3rd, and the second being contested on August 9th.

Rangers will travel to Belgium on August 2nd, before welcoming Union Saint-Gilloise to Ibrox a week later.

What happens next?

In the aftermath of the third qualifying round, the winners of each tie will advance to a play-off for a spot in this year’s Champions League group stage.

Defeated teams from the Champions Path will transfer to the UEFA Europa League play-off round, while League Path losers will be handed a place in the Europa League group stage.

The dates for the play-off rounds are as follows:

  • First leg: August 16th/17th
  • Second leg: August 23rd/24th

Who has already qualified for the Champions League group stage?

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As things stand, the following sides have already secured their place in this season’s Champions League group stage:

  • ENG: Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham
  • ESP: Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla
  • ITA: Inter, Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli
  • GER: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen
  • FRA: Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain
  • POR: FC Porto, Sporting CP
  • NED: Ajax
  • BEL: Club Brugge
  • AUT: RB Salzburg
  • SCO: Celtic
  • UKR: Shakhtar Donetsk

The winners of the six play-off ties will complete the group stage line-up.

What are the key dates for the Champions League 2022/23?

The full schedule for this season’s competition is as follows:

Group stage

  • Matchday 1: September 6th/7th 202
  • Matchday 2: September 13th/14th 202
  • Matchday 3: October 4th/5th 202
  • Matchday 4: October 11th/12th 202
  • Matchday 5: October 25th/26th 202
  • Matchday 6: November 1st/2nd 2022
  • Round of 16: February 14th/15th/21st/22nd & March 7th/8th/14th/15th 2023
  • Quarter-finals: April 11th/12th & 18th/19th 2023
  • Semi-finals: May 9th/10th &16th/17th 2023
  • Final: June 19th 2023

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