Champions League

The draw announced that League of Ireland (LOI) winners Shamrock Rovers will face SK Slovan Bratislava in Champions League qualifying.

The first leg will be played away on the 6^th or 7^th July. The return game will be in Tallaght on the 13^th or 14^th July.

The last time an Irish side faced the Slovakian champions was in 2019 when Dundalk lost 4-1 on aggregate in the third round of qualifying for the Europa League.

The second-round draw on Wednesday morning revealed that the winner of the tie would play against Swiss league winners BSC Young Boys.

As Ireland’s representatives in the Champions League, Rovers are already guaranteed €810,000.

The second-round draw also announced that Celtic will play against Danish club FC Midtjylland.

𝗨𝗘𝗙𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗪 |

Shamrock Rovers FC will face Slovan Bratislava in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League 1st Qualifying Round.

Rovers will be away in the 1st leg.

Dates & kick-off times TBC.#RoversInEurope pic.twitter.com/CT3KoY6kKT

— Tipperary Hoops (@TipperaryHoops) June 15, 2021

Europa Conference League

Ireland will have no sides in the first round of qualifying for the Europa League. Instead, the newly formed Europa Conference League will have three Irish teams competing.

The draw announced that club Bohemians will be facing Icelandic team Stjarnan in the first round.

Sligo Rovers will also play Icelandic opposition with FH Hafnarfjorour in their first European game.

After winning the FAI cup, Dundalk will face against Welsh team Newtown AFC.

The first leg of each of these matches will start on the 8^th of July and the return leg will be the following week on the 15^th July.

If Shamrock Rovers lose to their Slovakian opponents, they will be given a bye into the third round of the Europa Conference League qualifying.

Here are the results from the first Europa Conference League Draw?!#UECL pic.twitter.com/1np7SP4lF2

— UEFA Europa Conference League (@EuropaConLeague) June 15, 2021

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Slovenia is not on the Irish governments green list so the game will more than likely take place at a neutral venue. A neutral venue more than likely would be halfway between the countries so you would be looking at Hungary, Greece or even Italy. The game will be a one off event, with no second leg. It will take place on the 17th/18th of August. This will be confirmed in the next few days by UEFA. The Lilywhites could have faced easier opposition from other countries such as the Faroes, Estonia or Iceland. However, they must now travel, but a UEFA grant will cover the cost of this.

They will face KR Reykjavik. At the moment Celtic Park will host the game. However, their is a possibility that the game be played at a neutral venue. In fact Celtic have already met this team in the Champions League they beat them 5-0 on aggregate in 2014.

Northern Ireland Premier League side Lingfield will face Drita of Kosovo in the preliminary round, if they win there they will face a tough task against Polish side Legia Warsaw.

Ferencváros (HUN) vs Djurgården (SWE)

Celtic (SCO) vs KR Reykjavík (ISL)

Legia Warszawa (POL) vs Drita (KOS)/Linfield (NIR)

Sheriff (MDA) vs Fola Esch (LUX)

Connah’s Quay Nomads (WAL) vs Sarajevo (BIH)

Crvena zvezda (SRB) vs Europa (GIB)

Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) vs Ludogorets (BUL)

Ararat-Armenia (ARM) vs Omonia (CYP)

Floriana (MLT) vs CFR Cluj (ROU)

Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR) vs Riga (LVA)

Qarabağ (AZE) vs Sileks (MKD)

Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) vs Tirana (ALB)

Dynamo Brest (BLR) vs Astana (KAZ)

Molde (NOR) vs KuPS (FIN)

Flora Tallinn (EST) vs Sūduva (LTU)

Celje (SVN) vs Dundalk (IRL)

KÍ (FRO) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK)

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