Dinamo stays seeded after comeback, Champions League playoff draw on August 3
Spectacular comeback from 0-2 to 3-2 against Thun not only secured passage but also guaranteed easier opponents in the fight for the Champions League.
Spectacular comeback from 0-2 to 3-2 against Thun not only secured passage but also guaranteed easier opponents in the fight for the Champions League.
GNK Dinamo Zagreb secured not only passage to the third qualifying round of the Champions League with a spectacular comeback against Swiss side Thun (3-2), after trailing 0-2 until the 74th minute, but also retained its seeded status for the playoff draw. That draw will take place on August 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM, giving the Blues significantly easier potential opponents on their path to the elite competition, reports Tportal.
The match played on July 28, 2026 in Zagreb long looked like a Swiss evening. The visitors led 2-0, and Dinamo's fans eagerly awaited a response. However, in the final fifteen minutes, the Blues scored three goals and turned the score to a final 3-2. This comeback not only brought victory but dramatically affected the seeded lineup in the final qualifying round.
According to an analysis by the specialized platform Football Meets Data, had Thun preserved their lead, Greek side AEK would have been almost certainly seeded. As it stands, Dinamo remained among the seeded teams, while AEK fell into the unseeded pot with a 95 percent probability.
"AEK was very close to securing seeded status while Thun was leading 2-0 in Zagreb in the 74th minute. But Dinamo Zagreb's comeback from 0-2 to 3-2 changed everything and now AEK will almost certainly be unseeded (95%).", Football Meets Data posted on Twitter, as reported by Tportal.
As a seeded team, Dinamo will avoid strong opponents in the playoff such as Red Star Belgrade, Celtic, Slovan Bratislava or Lech Poznań. Instead, threats come from the unseeded group, and four of the five possible obstacles are already known:
The last pair is yet to play their return legs, so the final list is not yet complete.
Dinamo immediately shared emotions with fans after the match. The club's official Twitter account posted the quote: "...so you forever remember who Dinamo is and where the city of Zagreb is!", and in the late hours the traditional photo appeared with the message: "You didn't think we'd forget the traditional night photo, did you?" The morning after, the club wrote: "We want you to start the morning with a reminder of this...💙". The photos were credited to Luka Stanzl.
Before the playoff itself, Dinamo must also get through the third qualifying round. If successful, only two matches, the playoff tie, will separate them from the Champions League group stage. The draw on August 3 at noon will provide a clearer picture of the final obstacle on that path.
