Young Boys, Salzburg, and Sparta Prague secure spots in UCL 2024

Young Boys, Red Bull Salzburg, and Sparta Prague have all earned their places in the newly formatted 36-team UEFA Champions League after successfully navigating the play-off rounds.

Swiss champions Young Boys secured their return to Europe’s elite competition with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul, completing a 4-2 aggregate win.

The decisive moment came in the 87th minute when Alan Virginius found the back of the net, sealing the win for Young Boys.

The match took a dramatic turn when Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was sent off for kicking out at Virginius as he celebrated his goal.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg continued their impressive run by booking their sixth consecutive appearance in the Champions League.

A 1-1 draw at home against Dynamo Kyiv was enough to see them through with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Adam Daghim struck early for Salzburg before Vladyslav Vanat equalised for the Ukrainians.

Salzburg will be one of two Austrian sides in Thursday’s draw, joining Sturm Graz.

Sparta Prague also made it through qualifying as a 2-0 win over Swedish side Malmo completed a 4-0 overall triumph for the Czech champions.

Both teams missed a penalty in the return leg before Sparta netted twice late on courtesy of Lukas Haraslin’s spot-kick and a goal from Albion Rrahmani.

The four remaining spots will be filled on Wednesday.

The qualification of Young Boys, Salzburg, and Sparta Prague adds to the excitement of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, which will feature a new league-style format.

This season, fans can look forward to seeing 36 teams battle it out in the main phase, promising more thrilling matchups and intense competition.