Levski Sofia advances to Champions League third qualifying round

Levski Sofia Universitatea Craiova Champions League Kairat Almaty KuPS Kuopio

Levski Sofia secured a 3‑2 aggregate victory over Romanian champions Universitatea Craiova in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The second leg ended 2‑2 at the Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova on 29 July 2026, 20:30 local time, with goals from Nicolae Bancu (45+2) and Adrian Rus (48) for Craiova. The aggregate win moves Levski into the third qualifying round, where they will face Kazakh side Kairat Almaty. Universitatea Craiova drops into the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round and will meet Finnish club KuPS Kuopio.

Levski coach Julio Velázquez said he was “proud and happy” about the achievement for the club and its fans worldwide. The match was played behind closed doors after UEFA banned Levski supporters due to prior incidents. A group of Craiova supporters attempted sabotage with fireworks at the hotel where Levski players were staying. In addition, defender Oliver Camdem suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for several months.

The result guarantees Levski at least participation in the group stage of the UEFA Conference League and keeps the club in European competition through the 2026‑27 season.

Entities

Adrian Rus · Filipe Coelho · Ion Oblemenco Stadium · Julio Velásquez · Julio Velázquez · Kairat Almaty · KuPS · KuPS Kuopio · Levski Sofia · Levski Sofia · PFC Levski Sofia · UEFA

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] If eliminated from the Champions League, Universitatea Craiova will enter the Europa League third qualifying round and face Finnish side KuPS Kuopio.
[● 3 SOURCES] Levski Sofia won the first leg 1‑0 in Sofia, with Kristian Dimitrov scoring the only goal. www.actualno.com
[● 2 SOURCES] UEFA sanctioned Levski Sofia, prohibiting its supporters from attending the away match in Craiova due to racist incidents by its fans in a previous game.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Around 11,000 regular tickets and 11,000 season tickets have been sold for the Craiova‑Levski match, with hopes to reach about 25,000 spectators in a 31,000‑capacity stadium.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Universitatea Craiova captain Adrian Rus described a ‘perfect scenario’ for himself if he scores the winning goal in the return match.
[● 4 SOURCES] UEFA prohibited Levski Sofia supporters from attending the match, leading Universitatea Craiova to cancel about 300 tickets bought by those supporters www.actualno.com · www.sportsmole.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The second leg is scheduled for Wednesday at 20:30 at Ion Oblemenco stadium in Craiova and will be broadcast live on Digi Sport.
[● 3 SOURCES] Oleksander Romanchuk suffered a muscle rupture and will miss the match; forward Assad Al‑Hamlawi is also unavailable cvlpress.ro
[● 4 SOURCES] The second leg between Universitatea Craiova and Levski Sofia is scheduled for 29 July 2026 at 20:30 CET at Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova. www.actualno.com · xbets.ro · www.sportsmole.co.uk
[● 5 SOURCES] The match will be broadcast live on Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1 in Romania, and also on Canala 11 in Portugal xbets.ro · www.sportsmole.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] Coach Filipe Coelho said the team must control emotions and aim to overturn the 1‑0 deficit cvlpress.ro · www.sportsmole.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] Supporters of Universitatea Craiova set off fireworks and made noise outside the hotel where Levski Sofia players were staying the night before the match www.actualno.com · www.sportsmole.co.uk