[REVISION HISTORY]

Celje's UEFA Champions League qualification journey

Updated 11 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-09 14:56 UTC → 2026-09-09 18:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Celje’s high‑scoring run continued after a 3‑3 draw with KF Egnatia on 26 July 2026 and a 4‑0 penalty‑shootout win that took the club into the play‑off stage. On 3 August 2026, the club learned its next opponent would be FC Ararat‑Armenia, a tie offering a potential UEFA prize of more than €8 million. In the first leg of the third qualifying round on 4 August 2026, Celje was defeated 2‑1 by Ararat‑Armenia in Yerevan. Svit Sešlar gave Celje an early lead via a penalty, but Artur Serobyan equalised for the hosts before Carlos Franca secured the win. Celje secured advancement to the final qualifying round with a 2-0 victory in the second leg on 9 August 2026. Yaya Dukuly scored in the 83rd minute, followed by Benjamin Verbič in the 85th minute. Coach Vitor Campelos stated that the players “have written history for the club,” noting the achievement’s significance for Slovenian football and its national coefficient. In the final qualifying round, Celje faced Slovan Bratislava. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the second leg ended 2-1 to Slovan Bratislava in extra time. Andraž Šporar opened the scoring for Slovan in the 18th minute, and Svit Sešlar equalised for Celje with a penalty in the 34th minute. Cristian Martínez scored the decisive goal for Slovan in the 100th minute, resulting in a 3-2 aggregate win for the Slovakian side. Under the management of Yaya Touré, Slovan Bratislava secured a place in the Champions League league phase, while Celje will proceed to compete in the UEFA Europa League. On 8 September 2026, it was ~~noted~~ confirmed that Yaya Touré has made history as the first African head coach to lead a club into the UEFA Champions League league phase.

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