This article details the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase.
All draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
[1] Matches may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.
The team that has the higher aggregate score over the two legs progresses to the next round.
In the event that aggregate scores finish level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses.
If away goals are also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time are played, divided into two fifteen-minute halves.
The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e., if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team qualifies by virtue of more away goals scored.
If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shootout.
[5] In the draw for each round, teams are seeded based on their 2011 UEFA club coefficients,[6] with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots.
The seeding in each draw is carried out under the assumption that all of the highest-ranked clubs of the previous round are victorious.
If a lower-ranked club is victorious, it simply takes the place of its defeated opponent in the next round.
Prior to the draw, UEFA may form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they are purely for convenience of the draw and do not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition, while ensuring that teams from the same association are not drawn against each other.
Below are the 135 teams involved in the qualifying phase, grouped by their starting rounds.
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 20 June 2011.
The New Saints Daugava Daugavpils Cliftonville Nõmme Kalju
Fola Esch Fulham St Patrick's Athletic Aalesund BK Häcken Renova Glentoran
Neath Käerjéng 97 Qarabağ Rabotnicki Rad Koper Paks Banga Gargždai Narva Trans Shakhter Karagandy Tre Penne UE Santa Coloma Jagiellonia Białystok Dinamo Tbilisi Minsk Budućnost Podgorica Ferencváros Milsami Orhei Flamurtari AZAL Baku Irtysh Ulisses Spartak Trnava Varaždin Metalurgi Rustavi Široki Brijeg Birkirkara Olimpija Ljubljana Vllaznia Zeta Banants Lusitanos The first legs were played on 30 June, and the second legs were played on 7 July 2011.
[7] Sheriff Tiraspol IF Elfsborg[†] Lokomotiv Sofia Bnei Yehuda Irtysh[†] Metalurgi Rustavi[†] Željezničar Sūduva Sant Julià Metalurg Skopje Vorskla Poltava ADO Den Haag Gaziantepspor Gaz Metan Mediaș Varaždin[†] Minsk[†] Iskra-Stal Glentoran[†] Tauras Tauragė KuPS Fulham[†] Rabotnicki[†] AEK Larnaca Dinamo Tbilisi[†] Sarajevo Örebro SK Llanelli Crusaders Juvenes/Dogana Floriana Žilina Jablonec Ventspils Vålerenga Bohemians Shakhtyor Soligorsk Olimpija Ljubljana[†] Flamurtari[†]
Mika Red Bull Salzburg Aalesund[†] Spartak Trnava[†] Levadia Tallinn RNK Split Liepājas Metalurgs Tirana Ferencváros[†] Differdange 03 Domžale Anorthosis Famagusta Olympiacos Volos Midtjylland Aktobe Honka[†] Rad[†] BK Häcken[†] The New Saints[†] Kecskemét Gagra Austria Wien Dundee United St Patrick's Athletic[†] Qarabağ[†] Vojvodina Śląsk Wrocław Vaduz Shakhter Karagandy[†] Rudar Pljevlja EB/Streymur Nacional Maccabi Tel Aviv Westerlo Thun Tromsø[†]
Gaz Metan Mediaș won 2–1 on aggregate.
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2011.
[146] Atlético Madrid Young Boys Mladá Boleslav Red Star Belgrade Alania Vladikavkaz Westerlo[†] Ventspils[†] Aktobe[†] AEK Larnaca[†] Strømsgodset
Austria Wien[†] Bursaspor Željezničar[†] IF Elfsborg[†] Maccabi Tel Aviv[†] Jablonec[†] Aalesund[†] Olimpija Ljubljana[†] Gomel Hapoel Tel Aviv Rennes Levski Sofia Vitória de Guimarães Gaziantepspor[†] Midtjylland[†] Legia Warsaw Vaduz[†] Spartak Trnava[†] Metalurgi Rustavi[†] Palermo Dinamo București
Karpaty Lviv ADO Den Haag[†] Omonia Thun[†] St Patrick's Athletic[†] Dinamo Tbilisi[†] Varaždin[†] Club Brugge Red Bull Salzburg[†] Mainz 05 Helsingborgs IF Olympiacos Volos[†] Bnei Yehuda[†] Gaz Metan Mediaș[†] Qarabağ[†] Differdange 03[†] Senica Sparta Prague Stoke City Anorthosis Famagusta[†] Vorskla Poltava[†] Heart of Midlothian Hajduk Split Paks[†] Rabotnicki[†] Sarajevo[†] Sligo Rovers Fulham[†]
Nacional[†] Brøndby Lokomotiv Sofia[†] Śląsk Wrocław[†] Vålerenga[†] Ried BK Häcken[†] RNK Split[†] The first legs were played on 26 and 28 July, and the second legs were played on 4 August 2011.
Differdange 03 won on walkover after Olympiacos Volos were disqualified.
2–2 on aggregate; Gaz Metan Mediaș won 4–3 on penalties.