Crvena Zvezda’s Potential Champions League Opponents Revealed Crvena Zvezda’s Champions League summer is finally taking shape: the fog has lifted on their potential opponents, but not on the risks of an early embarrassment.

How we got here

The domino that mattered fell in Israel. Once Hapoel Be’er Sheva clinched the domestic trophy, “it became clear who will be possible rivals of Crvena zvezda at the start of the Champions League qualifiers.” That result fixed the seeding picture and confirmed the Serbian champions will enter in the second qualifying round as a seeded side.

UEFA’s calendar does the rest: the draw is set for June 17, with the first leg scheduled for July 23. Zvezda now know the window in which their European season could either ignite—or implode.

The field: minnows or minefield?

Pro‑government sports outlets frame it as a solved equation: “Everything is clear now: These are all of Zvezda’s potential rivals at the start of the Champions League qualifiers.” The list spans the continent’s periphery: Vikingur (Iceland), Kairat (Kazakhstan), Universitatea Craiova (Romania), Riga (Latvia), KI Klaksvik (Faroe Islands), Flora (Estonia), Larne (Northern Ireland), Petrocub (Moldova), New Saints (Wales), Aarhus (Denmark), Thun (Switzerland) and Mjällby (Sweden).

On paper, a seeded Zvezda should cruise. Yet even friendly coverage concedes the sting in the tail: “Practically, the last three teams are the trickiest… sensations of Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden, and it is clear that from those countries come difficult rivals.”

Spin versus stakes

The narrative around the club is bullish, even repetitive—another version runs under the headline, “Now it’s all clear: These are all of Zvezda’s potential rivals at the start of Champions League qualifiers,” stressing again that the Belgrade side is among the “privileged teams.”

But the chronology is unforgiving: June 17 reveals the name, July 23 starts the test. With this draw, any stumble against Europe’s supposed outsiders won’t be treated as bad luck. It will be treated as failure.