Levski Sofia and AEK Athens Cancel Each Other Out in Champions League Play-Off

Levski Sofia and AEK Athens played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on 18 August 2026 at the Stadion Vasil Levski in Sofia (BBC Sport).

A goalless draw in a two-legged tie — where the team that scores more goals across both matches advances — means everything is still to play for. Neither side found the net, and so the whole tie moves to Athens for the deciding second leg, with a place in the Champions League's league phase at stake.

The Champions League is European football's premier club competition. The 2026/27 edition has been qualifying since early July, with teams from across the continent fighting through multiple rounds for a shot at the group stage — this year restructured into a single "league phase" where all qualifying clubs play a set number of matches rather than the traditional four-team groups. The draw for that league phase takes place on 27 August (UEFA). Win this play-off, and you are in it. Lose, and the European nights are over before autumn.

AEK Athens came closest to snatching a winner. Luka Jović, the Serbian striker whose career has taken him from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid and on to Greece, had the visitors' best chance but could not convert (UEFA). A late kick-off at 22:00 local time gave the occasion the floodlit atmosphere these European nights trade on, but the quality in front of goal never quite matched the occasion.

For Levski Sofia, the result carries a quiet satisfaction. Holding a visiting side to nil at home is the foundation of a good two-leg result, even without an away goal of their own. For AEK, there is frustration at not making their best chance count — but also comfort in knowing the second leg is on their own terms, at their own ground, with their own crowd behind them.

The return leg in Athens will decide who advances. The fixture is already scheduled as part of the play-off round (UEFA). AEK also have a domestic league match at their ALLWYN Arena on 22 August (AEK FC), meaning they will need to balance their domestic title challenge with the most important week of their European season.

Qualifying for the Champions League concludes on 26 August (UEFA). For whoever comes through this tie, the league-phase draw the very next day will tell them which of Europe's biggest clubs they will be hosting — and travelling to — through the autumn and winter. That is the prize, and it is close enough now to touch.