Latvian champions RFS have learned their potential opponent in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round – and it’s a familiar name from the North: Finnish champions KuPS. But this matchup will only take place if RFS fail to pull off a miracle comeback against Malmö FF in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
RFS will take on Swedish giants Malmö away tomorrow, following a disastrous first-leg performance in Riga last week, where they suffered a 1-4 defeat. It was a game to forget, with RFS offering little resistance against the dominant visitors.
Unless RFS can produce one of the greatest comebacks in Latvian football history – particularly in European competition – they will drop into the Europa League path and face KuPS.
The Finnish champions themselves were eliminated today from the Champions League, despite taking a two-goal advantage into the second leg. After winning 2-0 at home in the first leg, they were defeated 0-3 away to Kazakhstan champions Kairat Almaty, losing the tie 2-3 on aggregate.
KuPS, a seven-time Finnish champion, had previously scraped past Moldovan side Milsami Orhei in the Champions League first qualifying round, winning 1-0 on aggregate in a tightly contested affair.
If the matchup with RFS is confirmed, it will be KuPS’s first-ever European encounter against a Latvian club. RFS, however, has bitter memories of facing Finnish opposition – most notably in 2022, when they were knocked out of the Champions League by HJK Helsinki after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Adding a layer of intrigue to the possible tie is the personal connection of RFS star Jānis Ikaunieks, who played two seasons (2021 till 2022) for KuPS before returning to Latvia. Now, he may line up against his former club on a European stage.
