Champions League: Sparta to face Lyon in third qualifying round

Prague's Sparta now know their opponent for the third qualifying round of the 2026/27 Champions League — French side Lyon. The first leg will be played on Tuesday at Letná, with the return match a week later away from home.

Sparta are competing in the non-champions path of qualification, which is generally considered the tougher route. The draw was not kind to the Prague side, pairing them with a seasoned French club rather than a more modest opponent.

Should Brian Priske's side get past Lyon, they would face the winner of the tie between Turkey's Fenerbahçe and Austria's Sturm Graz in the next round. The alternative pairing would have been the winner between Greek side Olympiacos and Dutch club Nijmegen. Fourth-round matches are scheduled for August 18-19 and 25-26, with Sparta likely to play their first leg away from home.

If Sparta fail to overcome Lyon, they will automatically drop into the Europa League group stage. However, the club's main goal remains a return to Europe's elite competition, which they last featured in during the 2024/25 season. Back then, Sparta managed just 4 points from eight group-stage matches — a win over Salzburg and a draw with Stuttgart — falling short of the knockout rounds.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz