The draw for the third qualifying round of the 2026/27 Europa League season took place at the UEFA headquarters. For Kyiv's Dynamo, this event determined the pool of potential opponents that Igor Kostyuk's team could face in August. However, the path to this match lies through a tough confrontation with Greek PAOK.
The Path Through Greece
Before finding out the name of the next opponent, Dynamo must pass a serious qualifying stage. The second qualifying round matches against PAOK are scheduled for July 23 and 30. Victory over the Greeks will be the key to the third round. Notably, thanks to PAOK's high European coefficient, the winner of this tie received the status of a seeded team during today's procedure.
Possible Opponents from Europe
As a result of the draw, if the Kyivians defeat PAOK, their next opponent will be the winner of the Hammarby (Sweden) — Anderlecht (Belgium) tie. This match could bring an interesting intrigue for the Kyivians: in the event of a Belgian success, the Ukrainians could play against their compatriot, forward Daniil Sikhan.
Before the procedure itself, UEFA traditionally divided the participants into subgroups, narrowing the list of potential opponents for Dynamo to four options. However, according to the draw results, the main focus shifted specifically to the confrontation between the Swedes and the Belgians.
Season Start and Risks
Dynamo's international campaign for the 2026/27 season began with a difficult victory over Romanian Universitatea Cluj. The matches ended with a score of 0:0 and 0:0, and the decisive role was played by penalties (4:2). To break through to the main group stage of the Europa League, the Ukrainian giant must overcome three more opponents.
The third qualifying round matches are scheduled for August 6 and 13. If Dynamo fails at any stage of the qualifiers, the team will automatically move to the Conference League. The decisive play-off round (Q4) will take place on August 20 and 27.
