Champions League details and seedings as Shelbourne wait on draw
Shelbourne's return to top-tier European competition will move a step closer on Tuesday afternoon when Damien Duff's men learn who they will face in the Champions League first qualifying round.
The Reds will compete in Europe's premier tournament for the first time in 20 years, thanks to last season's dramatic League of Ireland title win.
In their last appearance in the Champions League, they eased past Glentoran in the first round, winning 6-2 on aggregate, before they bowed out to Steaua Bucharest.
A year earlier, Pat Fenlon's side came agonisingly close to group stage football when they progressed past KR and Hadjuk Split, but came up just short of Deportivo La Coruna.
Since then, Shels have competed in the 2006 Intertoto Cup and last season's Europa Conference League. After progressing past Gibraltar side St Joseph's, they were eliminated by Zurich in the second qualifying round.
What's at stake?
This year, they are guaranteed a crack at the Champions League, with at least one safety net, depending on when they drop out of the top tournament.
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Shels will be unseeded in Tuesday's draw, but there are some potentially winnable ties among the seeded teams. Progressing one round would greatly enhance their prospects of securing group stage football, as Shamrock Rovers demonstrated last year when they made it all the way to the last-32 of the Europa Conference League.
Lose in the first round and they drop straight into the Conference League, rather than the Europa League.
When is the draw?
The draw takes place on Tuesday June 17 at 1pm Irish time.
Where can I watch it?
UEFA will stream the draw live.
What about the Ts & Cs?
While the brilliant Bert Kassies website gives us the latest seedings ahead of the draw, UEFA will confirm any changes, groupings (regional) and draw procedure here on Tuesday morning.
Are Shelbourne seeded?
Unfortunately, Shels are not seeded in the draw. Given their lack of European action in recent times, their coefficient is one of the lowest of all Champions League contenders.
So, who might they face?
UEFA will, on Tuesday morning, narrow the list of potential opponents, but Shelbourne could be drawn against Belfast side Linfield or Welsh outfit The New Saints, who lost to Shamrock Rovers in the league phase of last year's Europa Conference League.
Other seeded teams include Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar), Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro), Breidablik (Iceland), FC Drita (Kosovo), KuPS (Finland), Zrinjski Mostar (Bosnia & Herzegovina), RFS Riga (Latvia), Zalgiris Vilnius (Lithuania), Malmö (Sweden), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), FCSB (Romania) and Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria).
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