The final European competition to begin its 2025/26 campaign – the UEFA Europa League – officially kicks off tonight with eight first-round qualifying matches on the schedule.

Among the evening’s key fixtures, all eyes will be on Ljubljana, where Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk will host Finnish club Ilves. Kick-off is set for 21:00 Kyiv time.

Full Line-up of Tonight’s Fixtures:

19:00 – Sabah FK (Azerbaijan) vs Celje (Slovenia)
19:30 – AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) vs Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
20:00 – Paksi FC (Hungary) vs CFR Cluj (Romania)
20:00 – Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) vs Prishtina (Kosovo)
20:30 – Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) vs Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel)
21:15 – Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) vs BK Häcken (Sweden)
22:00 – Legia Warsaw (Poland) vs Aktobe (Kazakhstan)

What’s at Stake?

Winners of each tie will progress to the second qualifying round of the Europa League, where tougher opposition awaits – for example, Shakhtar Donetsk will face Turkish giants Beşiktaş if they overcome Ilves.

But it’s not the end of the road for the losers. Those who fall short in this opening stage will drop into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League, keeping their continental hopes alive.