The qualifying rounds for the 2008âÂÂ09 UEFA Cup began on 17 July 2008. In total, there were two qualifying rounds which narrowed clubs down to 80 teams in preparation for the first round.
Times are CEST (), as listed by UEFA.
<section begin=Q1 /> The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008. The first legs were played on 17 July 2008 and the second legs were played on 29 and 31 July 2008.<section end=Q1 />
In each region of the draw for the first qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The lower pots contained unranked teams from associations 34âÂÂ53, together with VÃÂtra of Lithuania (the 33rd association). The higher pots contained teams from associations 1âÂÂ32, together with Sà «duva of Lithuania, and FH (who had a team ranking, 209). <section begin=Q1 /> Three of the 37 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient, all involving teams whose ranking was that of their association: WIT Georgia (Georgia, ranked 38) beat Spartak Trnava (Slovakia, 24); Vllaznia (Albania, 43) beat Koper (Slovenia, 29); and St Patrick's Athletic (Ireland, 35) beat Olimps/ASK (Latvia, 31).
<section end=Q1 />
Cherno More won 9âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
APOEL won 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Zrinjski Mostar won 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
à  iroki Brijeg won 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Vllaznia won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Interblock won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Hapoel Tel Aviv won 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Hajduk Split won 7âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Omonia won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Slaven Belupo won 8âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Red Bull Salzburg won 10âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Gyà Âri ETO won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Bellinzona won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Borac ÃÂaÃÂak won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Austria Wien won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Hertha BSC won 8âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Lech Poznaà  won 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Legia Warsaw won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
WIT Georgia won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
à ½ilina won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Debrecen won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Vojvodina won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
FH won 8âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
Viking won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Kalmar FF won 10âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Honka won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
LiepÃÂjas Metalurgs won 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Brøndby won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Nordsjælland won 8âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Manchester City won 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
St Patrick's Athletic won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
2âÂÂ2 on aggregate; DjurgÃÂ¥rdens IF won on away goals.
Sà «duva won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 11âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Haka won 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Midtjylland won 10âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
<section begin=Q2 /> The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland, and featured 16 teams entering directly at the second qualifying round, as well as the 37 winners from the previous round and the 11 third round winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup. The first legs were played on 14 August 2008 and the second leg on 28 August 2008.<section end=Q2 />
In each region of the draw for the second qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pots contained teams with a ranking of 176 or higher, and unranked teams from associations ranked 1 to 15 (or 17 in the Southern region). As there were an odd number of teams in the Central and Northern groups in the 2nd qualifying round, UEFA moved Rennes from the Central-East group to the Northern group. Furthermore, LiepÃÂjas Metalurgs and Sà «duva were moved from the Northern group to the Central-East group, and Vaslui and Interblock were moved from the Southern-Mediterranean group to the Central-East group. <section begin=Q2 /> 12 of the 32 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient. The 12 teams that lost to a lower team were: AEK Athens, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Aris, Red Star Belgrade, Grasshopper, Slovan Liberec, Viking, Lokomotiv Sofia, IF Elfsborg, Gent, Queen of the South and Debrecen. St Patrick's Athletic were the only team to beat a higher-seeded team in each of the two qualifying rounds.
<section end=Q2 />
Beà Âiktaà  won 6âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Braga won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Borac ÃÂaÃÂak won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Hapoel Tel Aviv won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Slaven Belupo won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Litex Lovech won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Deportivo La Coruña won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
5âÂÂ5 on aggregate; APOEL won on away goals.
Napoli won 8âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Cherno More won 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Omonia won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Vaslui won 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
2âÂÂ2 on aggregate; Zürich won 4âÂÂ2 on penalties.
VfB Stuttgart won 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Lech Poznaà  won 6âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
à ½ilina won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Austria Wien won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Young Boys won 7âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
FC Moscow won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
4âÂÂ4 on aggregate; Bellinzona won on away goals.
Hertha BSC won 3âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Red Bull Salzburg won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Rosenborg won 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Nordsjælland won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Kalmar FF won 5âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
1âÂÂ1 on aggregate; Manchester City won 4âÂÂ2 on penalties.
Honka won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Brøndby won 6âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Rennes won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Copenhagen won 7âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
St Patrick's Athletic won 4âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
Aston Villa won 5âÂÂ2 on aggregate.