Shelbourne and Derry City paired with Gibraltar teams in Europa Conference League draw

But Shamrock Rovers have it all to do if they are to make progress in the Champions League as they received possibly the worst draw possible as they must defeat Vikingur to get into the second round and give themselves a chance of a long European campaign.

Rovers had been hoping to get paired with Irish League side Larne for their first-round tie in the Champions League, but Larne are off to Latvia. Having been dormant for a long spell, Vikingur have become a force in recent seasons, with league titles in 2021 and 2023. Strong on the domestic front, Vikingur’s record in Europe is poor as their only successes in their 10 Uefa campaigns were against opposition from Estonia, Andorra and Wales, and last season they had a tame first-round exit at the hands of Latvian side Riga.

But Rovers will be wary of their threat as the Dublin side were well beaten by Vikingur’s local rivals Breidablik in the first round last season. The incentive for both clubs is massive as the winners of that first-round tie can, of course, aim to progress in the Champions League, with a back door into the Europa League third qualifying round if they then lose in the second round of the Champions League.

However, losing in the first round of the Champions League offers only one more opportunity, entry into the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.

The Hoops are due to be away in the first leg, which will be confirmed by Uefa in the next 24 hours.

Shelbourne and Derry will be happy with their lot.

Shels, back in Europe for the first time since 2006, have been paired with St Joseph’s from Gibraltar. They have lost eight of their 15 ties in Europe since their Uefa debut in 2017 when they were hammered 10-0 on aggregate by Cypriot opposition, but they do have the potential for an upset as last season they beat Larne 1-0 to progress. However, they were hammered by Slavia Prague (11-0) in the second round.

Damien Duff’s side received a boost as Tolka Park has been approved to host their first and second-round home ties, though the Reds would need to then move – probably to Tallaght Stadium – if they get to the third round.

Derry are the second LOI club to be drawn with Bruno’s Magpies, who started as a pub team in Gibraltar and have qualified for Europe for the third season in a row. Last season, they held Dundalk to a 0-0 draw in Gibraltar but lost 3-1 at Oriel Park.

The second-round draw will be made on Wednesday when Shels and Derry will learn the identity of their opponents, should they progress, while St Patrick’s Atheltic have a bye into the second round.