The UEFA Europa League football is back for the 2026/27 season, marking the 18th year under the competition's current format. Following Aston Villa's victory in the previous final, the tournament will commence on Thursday with a dozen teams vying for a place in the league phase. These teams will face the challenge of navigating through four qualifying rounds to secure their positions.

Among the participants, two teams traditionally seen in the Champions League are making appearances in the qualifying rounds. Hungary's Ferencváros will compete against Vojvodina, marking their first encounter with a Serbian team in over 50 years. Ferencváros previously faced Crvena zvezda in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup Winners Cup final, where they fell to Dynamo Kyiv. Vojvodina, who finished second in Serbia, has a history of success in the Europa League, having defeated Honvéd in both legs of their matchup 13 years ago.

Another notable team is Qarabağ, who reached the knockout round playoffs in last season's Champions League. They will begin their journey against Iceland's Vestri, who are entering European competition for the first time. Qarabağ has won their last eight qualifying ties, with their last setback occurring in the 2013/14 playoff round.

The standout matchup of this round features Dynamo Kyiv against Universitatea Cluj. Dynamo, two-time Cup Winners Cup champions, are looking to rebound after a disappointing 2025/26 season that saw them exit early from the UEFA Conference League. They hold a 4-3-2 record against Romanian teams, while Universitatea Cluj is participating in their ninth European match, having previously competed in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup.

This tie also carries weight in the UEFA five-year country coefficient ranking, with both Romania and Ukraine aiming to secure top positions. Among the 12 teams in this round, seven are domestic cup winners, with only one matchup featuring two cup champions: Sheriff Tiraspol versus Aluminij. CSKA-Sofia is favored against Derry City, while Croatian giants Hajduk Split hope for a better outcome against Žilina of Slovakia.

All matches in this qualifying round are scheduled over the next two Thursdays, with the winners advancing to the second qualifying round later in the month. Losing teams will drop to the UEFA Europa Conference League, continuing their European campaigns there.