Jose Mourinho will have to overcome two difficult obstacles to lead Fenerbahçe to the league stage of the 2025-26 Champions League, or else to play in the Europa League for the second year in a row.
The draw for the Champions League preliminary rounds took place on Monday morning, with several prominent European teams participating, such as Fenerbahçe of Turkey and Benfica of Portugal, among others.
The Champions League preliminary rounds are divided into two tracks: the Champions League and the League. The first features 12 teams, while the second features only eight, with teams from the major leagues competing at the latter end.
The draw resulted in a heated matchup between Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe and Feyenoord of the Netherlands in the first qualifying round, while Nice of France will face Benfica of Portugal in another heated match.
The first leg of the preliminary round will be held on August 5 and 6, while the second leg will be held on August 11 and 12.
After this round, a draw will be held for the teams that successfully advance from the preliminary round from both tracks, who will then play in the final play-off matches, from which three teams will qualify for the Champions League group stage.
