Not only will the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw take place today, but several Baltic clubs will also discover their opponents in the opening round of UEFA Conference League qualifying.
UEFA has already announced the pre-draw groups, reducing the number of possible opponents for each team. The groups have also confirmed that up to two all-Baltic ties could be drawn in the first qualifying round.
A total of seven clubs from the Baltic states will participate in the opening qualifying round – three from Estonia and two each from Latvia and Lithuania. Latvian Cup winners FK Auda and Lithuanian Cup holders FK Panevėžys will enter the competition in the second qualifying round thanks to their countries’ UEFA coefficient rankings.
In the first pre-draw group, Lithuanian side FK Žalgiris Vilnius, coached by Andrius Skerla, have been seeded. Their potential opponents are Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi, Bosnian side Velež Mostar, Kazakhstan’s Yelimay, Albanian runners-up AF Elbasani, who feature Lithuanian defender Sigitas Olberkis, and Montenegrin side Petrovac.
The second group includes two current league leaders from the Baltic region. Latvian Virslīga leaders RFS and Estonian Premium Liiga leaders FCI Levadia have both been seeded. Their possible opponents are Finland’s Ilves, Irish club Bohemians, who have Latvian youth international Markuss Strods in their squad, Icelandic side Stjarnan, Northern Ireland’s Glentoran and Welsh club Caernarfon Town.
The fourth pre-draw group contains three Baltic clubs and presents the possibility of a Baltic derby. Estonian Cup finalists Paide Linnameeskond are seeded and could be paired with either FK Liepāja, managed by former Paide head coach Vladimir Vassiljev, or Lithuanian side FC Hegelmann. The other unseeded teams in Paide’s section are Wales’ Connah’s Quay Nomads, Finland’s Inter Turku and Luxembourg club Mondorf-les-Bains.
Meanwhile, both Liepāja and Hegelmann could also be drawn against Kosovo’s Ballkani, Montenegro’s Dečić, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo or Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi.
The fifth and final group features Estonian club Nõmme Kalju among the unseeded teams. Their potential opponents are North Macedonian champions Shkëndija, Northern Irish champions Linfield, Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans, Albanian side Vllaznia, San Marino’s La Fiorita and Andorran club FC Santa Coloma.
The draw for the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round will take place in Nyon at 19:00 Baltic time.
