The draw for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League playoffs takes place in Nyon on Monday. If they advance past Kauno Žalgiris, the Blues will be seeded, and here are their potential opponents.
Today is a crucial day for Croatian clubs in Europe. While Dinamo, Hajduk, and Rijeka prepare for their first matches in the third qualifying round, the draw for the final stage of qualifying, the popular playoff, takes place in Nyon, Switzerland. The Blues will thus find out their potential opponent in the battle for the Champions League league phase at exactly noon.
Regardless of the outcome of the tie with Lithuanian side Kauno Žalgiris, led by Croatian coach Željko Sopić, Dinamo will be a playoff participant. The only question is whether it will be in the Champions League or the Europa League. If Mario Kovačević's team gets past Žalgiris, they will have seeded status in the fourth qualifying round of the Champions League.
In that case, potential opponents include Austria's LASK, Norway's Viking, and the winners of the ties Celje - Ararat, Kairat Almaty - Levski Sofia, and Aarhus - Sabah. According to estimates, the toughest draw would be LASK from Linz, but Dinamo should be favorites against any of the aforementioned opponents.
Even in the worst-case scenario, namely elimination by Kauno Žalgiris and then in the Europa League playoff, the Blues have secured a group stage spot in the Conference League. This guarantees Dinamo a European autumn. The first legs of the Champions League playoffs will be played on August 18 or 19, with the return legs on August 25 or 26, 2026.
Meanwhile, Dinamo is already looking ahead to upcoming challenges on social media. "Warm up your voices, cool down your hands - in two days, we fight for the Champions League at Maksimir!" the club said, announcing the match against Žalgiris. They also praised Stjepan Radeljić, who played his first full 90 minutes in the blue jersey yesterday.
Unlike Dinamo, Hajduk and Rijeka cannot afford any mistakes. Only advancing past the third qualifying round leads them to the Conference League playoff. Hajduk, who dropped into Conference League qualifying after being eliminated by Cyprus's Pafos, will play away in Lithuania against Žalgiris Vilnius on Thursday at 7 PM, with the return leg at Poljud.
UEFA has already published the sub-groups for the Conference League draw, which starts at 2 PM. If they get past Žalgiris, Hajduk's potential playoff opponents are: the loser of the Jagiellonia - Glasgow Rangers tie, the loser of the PAOK - Anderlecht tie, and the winners of Debrecen - Copenhagen, Rakow - Hammarby, and Ajax - Shelbourne.
Alongside European qualifiers, Dinamo has announced the 23rd edition of the iconic Mladen Ramljak tournament, which will take place from August 6 to 9, 2026. Eight clubs from six countries will participate, including renowned European academies such as Club Brugge, Juventus, Benfica, Ajax, Athletic Bilbao, Bologna, as well as Hajduk and Dinamo. Admission to all matches is free, and broadcasts will be available on the Dinamo Plus platform.
