Bodø/Glimt Faces Tough Playoff Draw for Champions League Return

Bodø/Glimt, the surprising sensation from last season's Champions League, faces a challenging path back to the elite competition. The Norwegian club has been drawn to play either Olympiakos of Greece or NEC Nijmegen of the Netherlands in the qualifying playoffs round.

Last season, Bodø/Glimt, hailing from a small fishing town north of the Arctic Circle, captured global attention with a stellar performance that saw them reach the round of 16. Their impressive campaign included victories against formidable opponents such as Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and twice against Inter Milan.

Before reaching the playoffs, Bodø/Glimt is set to compete against Union Saint-Gilloise in the third qualifying round on Tuesday. The winner of this tie will then advance to face the Greek league runner-up or the third-place Dutch team in the playoff round.

This playoff round is part of the qualifying section for teams that did not win their domestic leagues. In another pairing within this section, the winner of the Fenerbahce versus Sturm Graz match will advance to play either Sparta Prague or Lyon. The first-leg games are scheduled for August 18 or 19, with the return matches taking place one week later. Seven teams will ultimately qualify from these rounds to join the 36-team main phase draw, which is set for August 27 in Monaco.