This article details the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round. There were two paths: Each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that had the higher aggregate score over the two legs progressed to the next round. In the event that aggregate scores finished level, the away goals rule was applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progressed. If away goals were also equal, then 30 minutes of extra time were played, divided into two 15-minute halves. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e., if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team qualified by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie was decided via a penalty shoot-out. All times are CEST (UTC+2).

Round and draw dates

All draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Teams

Below are the 54 teams (39 in Champions Path, 15 in Non-Champions path) that were involved in the qualifying phase and play-off round, grouped by their starting rounds. The ten winners of the play-off round (five in Champions Path, five in Non-Champions Path) qualified for the group stage to join the 22 automatic qualifiers. The losing teams from the third qualifying round and the play-off round entered the Europa League play-off round and the group stage, respectively. In each round, teams were seeded based on their 2010 UEFA club coefficients. Prior to the draw, UEFA could form "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they were purely for convenience of the draw and did not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition, while ensuring that teams from the same association were not drawn against each other.

Champions Path

Non-Champions Path

First qualifying round

Seeding

Summary

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Matches

Rudar Pljevlja won 7–1 on aggregate. ''Birkirkara won 7–3 on aggregate. The first leg was cancelled and awarded 3–0 to Birkirkara.''

Second qualifying round

Seeding

Summary

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Matches

Sparta Prague won 5–0 on aggregate. Aktobe won 3–1 on aggregate. Debrecen won 4–3 on aggregate. Partizan won 4–1 on aggregate. 1–1 on aggregate; Lech Poznań won on penalties. Dinamo Zagreb won 5–4 on aggregate. Litex Lovech won 5–0 on aggregate. Žilina won 3–1 on aggregate. Sheriff Tiraspol won 3–2 on aggregate. Hapoel Tel Aviv won 6–0 on aggregate. Omonia won 5–0 on aggregate. Red Bull Salzburg won 5–1 on aggregate. The New Saints won 4–1 on aggregate. BATE Borisov won 6–1 on aggregate. AIK won 1–0 on aggregate. Rosenborg won 2–0 on aggregate. HJK won 2–1 on aggregate.

Third qualifying round

Seeding

Summary

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Matches

Sparta won 2–0 on aggregate. Hapoel Tel Aviv won 3–2 on aggregate. 2–2 on aggregate; Sheriff Tiraspol won on penalties. Žilina won 4–2 on aggregate. Basel won 5–1 on aggregate. Rosenborg won 4–0 on aggregate. Partizan won 5–1 on aggregate. Anderlecht won 6–1 on aggregate. Copenhagen won 3–2 on aggregate. Red Bull Salzburg won 5–2 on aggregate. 4–4 on aggregate; Ajax won on away goals. Dynamo Kyiv won 6–1 on aggregate. Young Boys won 3–2 on aggregate. Braga won 4–2 on aggregate. Zenit Saint Petersburg won 1–0 on aggregate.

Play-off round

Seeding

Summary

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Matches

Hapoel Tel Aviv won 4–3 on aggregate. 2–2 on aggregate; Copenhagen won on away goals. Basel won 4–0 on aggregate. Žilina won 3–0 on aggregate. 4–4 on aggregate; Partizan won on penalties. Tottenham won 6–3 on aggregate. Braga won 5–3 on aggregate. Werder Bremen won 5–4 on aggregate. Auxerre won 2–1 on aggregate. Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.