Cliftonville on course for Conference League clash with Dublin giants while Dungannon face trip to Liechtenstein

Belfast Telegraph

18-06-2025

Adam McKendry and Keith Bailie
The winners of Linfield and Shelbourne will face Azerbaijan champions Qarabag in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first round will be staged at the home of the winners of the All-Ireland clash on July 22/23, with the second leg in Baku the following week.
The Blues are no strangers to Qarabag. In 2019, the Azerbaijan side knocked Linfield out of the Play-Off round of the Europa League on away goals after a memorable two-legged encounter that saw a Shayne Lavery-inspired Linfield record a famous win at Windsor Park.
Qarabag, who reached the league phase of the Europa League last term, will be favourites to progress to the third round, regardless of who wins the Irish derby. The first leg of that clash will be played at Tolka Park in Dublin on July 8/9 with the second leg in Belfast on July 15/16.
If, however, Linfield lose to Shelbourne they will drop into the second round of the Conference League. There they will play either Zalagris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta, with the second leg in Belfast.
Linfield against Shelbourne may not be the only all-Ireland clash of the summer. If Cliftonville defeat St Joseph's in the first round of the Conference League, they will face Shamrock Rovers in the second round, with the first leg at Solitude.
Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts went straight into the second round, where they will face Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz, with the first leg at home. Vaduz play in the second tier of Swiss football but qualified for Europe by winning the Liechtenstein national cup.
Should Larne overcome Latvian side Auda in the first round, they will play either Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova or FC Prishtina of Kosovo in the second round. The Invermen will have home advantage in the second leg.
The first leg of the Conference League second round games will be played on Thursday 24 July with the second leg on Thursday 31 July.
39 minutes ago
Dungannon Swifts will face FC Vaduz of Lichtenstein. The home leg will be the second game for Dungannon.
Vaduz play in the second tier of the Swiss league. They qualified by winning the Lichtenstein national cup.
40 minutes ago
The winners of FC Sheriff Tiraspol and FC Prishtina will play the winners of Larne versus Auda. Larne, should they progress, will have home advantage in the first leg.
43 minutes ago
Now it's time for the main pathway. The winner of Joseph's and Cliftonville will feature in this group. They could potentially draw Shamrock Rovers or Dundee United.
50 minutes ago
The losers of Shelbourne and Linfield will face Zalagris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. The second leg will be staged at Windsor Park, should Linfield lost to Shels.
52 minutes ago
Up first, it's the champions path. The loser of the Champions League tie between Linfield and Shelbourne will drop into this round.
54 minutes ago
The first leg of these ties will be played on Thursday July 24 with the second leg on Thursday July 31.
Today 11:57 AM
The draw for the second qualifying round of the Conference League will get underway shortly.
Dungannon Swifts will learn their opponents, as will Cliftonville and Larne should they progress through the first round. Linfield will also feature in this draw. They will drop into the Conference League if they lose their first round Championship League clash with Shelbourne.
Today 11:15 AM
Some fixture news. Cliftonville's first round, first leg Conference League game with St Joseph's will be played at Europa Point Stadium on Tuesday, July 8 - two days earlier than expected. The second leg will take place at Solitude on Thursday, July 17.
Today 10:21 AM
Our liveblog will return at 1pm when Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts will learn their opponents in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Cliftonville and Larne will also learn their second round opponents, should they successfully navigate the first qualifying round.
Today 10:20 AM
Dates for Qarabag clash
Just to recap, the winners of Linfield versus Shelbourne will play Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first leg will be staged at either Windsor Park or Tolka Park on July 22/23 with the second leg in Azerbaijan on July 29/30
Today 10:17 AM
Rangers will pay Panathinaikos in the same round, with the first leg at Ibrox.
Today 10:15 AM
Qarabag await the winners of Irish derby
The winners of Linfield versus Shelbourne will play Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the second qualifying round of the Champions League!
The first leg will be staged in either Belfast or Dublin, with the winners of the all-Ireland tie away in the second leg.
Today 10:13 AM
The winners of Linfield and Shelbourne are unseeded for this round
Today 10:12 AM
Here we go, it's time for Group 3 - the one that features Linfield and Shelbourne
Today 10:09 AM
We're on to regional group two. Linfield and Shelbourne are also not in this group.
Stay with us!
Today 10:08 AM
There draw is underway, but Uefa are currently running through a different regional group.
Today 10:03 AM
The draw is about to begin. The first leg of these ties will be staged on July 22 or 23, with the second leg on July 29 and 30
Today 09:59 AM
Champions League draw
Hello and welcome to the draw for the second qualifying round of the Champions League, where we will find out who the winners of Linfield and Shelbourne will face in the next round.
The Irish pair's potential opponents include Slovan Bratislavia, Qarabag, Steaua Bucharest or Inter Club d'Escaldes, Olimpija Ljubljana and Kairat Almaty