HNK Rijeka football players will begin their European journey in the 2025/26 season. In the second qualifying round for the Champions League, their opponent will be the winner of the match between Bulgarian Ludogorets and Belarusian Dinamo Minsk. This decision was made by a draw held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

Draw details and match schedule

Rijeka will host the match at the Rujevica stadium on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, starting at 8:45 p.m., regardless of the opponent.

Rematch

If the opponent is Ludogorets (Bulgaria), the second leg will be played on Wednesday, July 30, in Razgrad, starting at 20:30 local time (19:30 CET).

If the opponent is Dinamo Minsk (Belarus), the second leg will take place on Tuesday, July 29, in Hungary (Mezőkövesd Városi Stadium), starting at 20:45. Dinamo Minsk plays its European matches on neutral ground due to UEFA restrictions.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

Ludogorets is the favorite in the head-to-head match with Dinamo Minsk. Still, Rijeka will determine its final opponent after both games of the first preliminary round are played (the first on July 8 or 9 in Bulgaria, and the second leg on July 15 or 16).

Special notes

UEFA banned Rijeka from selling tickets to its fans for three away matches in European competitions, due to earlier incidents, which means that support from the stands at away matches will not be possible.

In the event of relegation from the Champions League, Rijeka will continue in the Europa League, entering the third qualifying round.

Rijeka has a real chance to advance to the next stage, regardless of who the opponent is, although Ludogorec is the favorite on paper. The first game in Rujevica will be crucial for the continuation of the Croatian champion’s European journey.