The qualifying rounds for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League began on 15 July 2008. In total, there were three qualifying rounds which provided 16 clubs to join the group stages.
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| Qualify for the group stage | |
| Eliminated in the Third qualifying round; Advanced to the UEFA Cup first round |
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The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.
In the draw for the first qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The lower pot contained the 14 teams from associations 40–53: none of these teams had a team ranking.
The first legs were held on 15 and 16 July, while the second legs were played on 22 and 23 July 2008.
Two of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Inter Baku (Azerbaijan, country rank 42) beat Rabotnički (Macedonia, 36); and BATE Borisov (Belarus, 40) beat Valur (Iceland, 37). Of the 28 teams in the first qualifying round, two survived as far as the group stage: Anorthosis Famagusta and BATE Borisov.
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Dinamo Zagreb won 3–1 on aggregate.----Artmedia Petržalka won 3–0 on aggregate.----Dinamo Tbilisi won 3–1 on aggregate.----FBK Kaunas won 7–2 on aggregate.----Göteborg won 9–0 on aggregate.----Ventspils won 4–1 on aggregate.----Anorthosis won 3–0 on aggregate.----1–1 on aggregate; Inter Baku won on away goals.----Tampere United won 3–2 on aggregate.----Domžale won 3–0 on aggregate.----Modriča won 4–1 on aggregate.----Sheriff won 4–1 on aggregate.----Drogheda United won 3–1 on aggregate.----BATE Borisov won 3–0 on aggregate.
The draw for the second qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland, immediately after the draw for the first qualifying round.
In the draw for the second qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients.
The first legs were played on 29 and 30 July, while the second legs were played on 5 and 6 August 2008.
Three of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Kaunas (unranked, coefficient 2.640) beat Rangers (ranked 24, coefficient 66.013); BATE Borisov (unranked, 1.760) beat Anderlecht (56, 41.810); and Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Rapid Wien (ranked 166). Of the 28 teams in the second qualifying round, Panathinaikos were the only one to qualify for the knockout phase of the competition.
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FBK Kaunas won 2–1 on aggregate.----2–2 on aggregate; Brann won on away goals.----Partizan won 3–1 on aggregate.----Artmedia Petržalka won 7–3 on aggregate.----Anorthosis won 4–3 on aggregate.----Dinamo Zagreb won 6–2 on aggregate.----Panathinaikos won 3–0 on aggregate.----Basel won 5–3 on aggregate.----Sparta Prague won 3–0 on aggregate.----Dynamo Kyiv won 4–3 on aggregate.----BATE Borisov won 4–3 on aggregate.----Wisła Kraków won 6–2 on aggregate.----Fenerbahçe won 7–0 on aggregate.----AaB won 7–1 on aggregate.
The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.[1]
In the draw for the third qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pot contained teams ranked 61 or higher. However, the draw was held before the second qualifying round was played, which meant that Kaunas and BATE Borisov effectively moved into the higher pot, replacing the teams they eliminated.
The first legs were played on 12 and 13 August, while the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August. The winners of each tie advanced to the group stage, while the losers were seeded into the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round.
Four of the 16 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Olympiacos (ranked 44); BATE Borisov (unranked, coefficient 1.760) beat Levski Sofia (ranked 80, coefficient 32.644); Atlético Madrid (ranked 67) beat Schalke 04 (ranked 22) and Dynamo Kyiv (ranked 74) beat Spartak Moscow (ranked 61).
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Anorthosis won 3–1 on aggregate.----Basel won 2–1 on aggregate.----Shakhtar Donetsk won 5–1 on aggregate.----Atlético Madrid won 4–1 on aggregate.----AaB won 4–0 on aggregate.----Barcelona won 4–1 on aggregate.----BATE Borisov won 2–1 on aggregate.----Liverpool won 1–0 on aggregate.----Fenerbahçe won 4–3 on aggregate.----Arsenal won 6–0 on aggregate.----Dynamo Kyiv won 8–2 on aggregate.----Juventus won 5–1 on aggregate.----Marseille won 3–1 on aggregate.----Fiorentina won 2–0 on aggregate.----Steaua București won 3–2 on aggregate.----Panathinaikos won 3–1 on aggregate.