Danny Röhl’s team first have to get past Pafos FC from Cyprus in the third qualifying round. If they progress, the loser of Mjällby AIF against Slovan Bratislava will await in the play-off. That would give Salzburg a draw that looks manageable from a sporting perspective, but still carries potential pitfalls.
All possible play-off ties at a glance
• Trabzonspor – Winner of Ferencváros/Górnik Zabrze
• Winner of KuPS Kuopio/Universitatea Craiova – Loser of Ararat-Armenia/NK Celje
• Sint-Truidense VV – Winner of Lincoln Red Imps/Omonia
• Loser of Hapoel Beer-Sheva/Crvena Zvezda – Viktoria Plzeň
• Winner of Shamrock Rovers/KF Egnatia – Lillestrøm
• Winner of Jagiellonia Białystok/Rangers – Winner of Larne/FC Iberia 1999
• Loser of Mjällby AIF/Slovan Bratislava – Winner of Pafos FC/FC Salzburg
• Loser of Levski Sofia/Kairat Almaty – Winner of PAOK/Anderlecht
• Loser of Lech Poznań/KÍ Klaksvík – Winner of FC Thun/Víkingur Reykjavík
• Winner of Hradec Králové/Beşiktaş – Loser of GNK Dinamo/Kauno Žalgiris
• Winner of Benfica/Heart of Midlothian – Loser of AGF Aarhus/Sabah
• OFI Crete – Winner of Maccabi Tel-Aviv/CSKA Sofia
The play-off first legs will take place on 20 August, with the return legs following on 27 August. The winners advance to the league phase of the Europa League. The losers do not drop out of Europe entirely, but move into the league phase of the Conference League.
Clear equation for Salzburg
For Salzburg, the equation is therefore simple: if the runners-up get past Pafos, two routes remain open. A win in the Europa League play-off would mean a place in the Europa League league phase. A defeat in the play-off would be painful from a sporting perspective, but would at least still provide the safety net of the Conference League league phase.
That makes the tie against Pafos particularly important. Salzburg are not only playing for the next step in this round, but also for a much more comfortable European position. Whoever gets through the third qualifying round is guaranteed a league phase. If Salzburg lose to Pafos, they will have to take the detour through the Conference League – and would face pressure again in the play-off there.
That exact scenario is already known as well: should Salzburg lose to Pafos, the club would face the winner of Auda against Dinamo City in the Conference League play-off. On paper, that would be one of the easiest possible draws, although Auda sensationally knocked out FCSB from Romania.
Mjällby or Slovan as the test
The possible Europa League play-off opponent comes with two very different profiles. Mjällby would be the far more unusual name, at least in a European context. The Swedish surprise champions played a remarkable 2025 season and would still be a team Salzburg would be expected to beat. At the moment, however, they are only eleventh in the Swedish Allsvenskan.
Slovan Bratislava would be the more experienced European option. The Slovaks bring significantly more continental experience, know these qualifying situations well and would probably be the more uncomfortable opponent. Even so, Salzburg would have the individual quality to reach the Europa League league phase against either possible opponent.
Thun with an interesting route
FC Thun also know their possible path. The Swiss side face Víkingur Reykjavík in the third qualifying round. If Thun progress, the loser of Lech Poznań against KÍ Klaksvík will await in the play-off. Getting past Víkingur would therefore only be the first step; after that, Lech could be a very demanding opponent.
For Thun, the same principle applies as for Salzburg: whoever gets through the third round is at least guaranteed the Conference League league phase. The difference lies in expectations. Salzburg must view the Europa League as the target, while Thun would already make a strong international statement by reaching the play-off and securing a league phase. If the Swiss side do end up in the Conference League play-off, they would face either Borac Banja Luka from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Vitebsk from Belarus. As with Salzburg, these would therefore be manageable “fallback opponents”…
