Five Baltic clubs will be in UEFA Conference League third qualifying round action on Thursday as they continue their quest for a place in the play-offs. Latvian champions Riga FC host Hungarian title winners Gyor, while RFS travel to Czechia to face Jablonec. Estonia is represented by both Flora Tallinn and Paide Linnameeskond, with the latter hosting Austrian giants Rapid Wien and Flora travelling to Andorran champions Inter d’Escaldes. Meanwhile, a sold-out LFF Stadium in Vilnius will stage the night’s headline fixture as Žalgiris Vilnius welcome Croatian powerhouse Hajduk Split.
The first Baltic clubs to kick off are RFS and Paide Linnameeskond at 19:00 Baltic time.
Latvian league leaders RFS travel to Stadion Strelnice to face Czech side Jablonec. The current Virslīga leaders have progressed through the opening two qualifying rounds by eliminating Northern Irish side Glentoran 4-1 on aggregate before defeating Icelandic Cup holders Vestri 5-2 on aggregate. Jablonec, meanwhile, entered the competition in the second qualifying round and edged Croatian side Varaždin 4-3 on aggregate.
This marks only the second time in club history that RFS have reached the third qualifying round via the non-champions path, having previously done so during the 2021/22 campaign when they narrowly lost 2-3 on aggregate to Belgian side Genk. Between European ties, RFS have registered both summer arrivals Alfa Balde and Duje Korač in their UEFA squad, while Shina Kumater and Kingsley Emenike have been left out.
Should RFS progress, they will face the loser of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie between Rangers and Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.
At the same time, Paide Linnameeskond welcome Rapid Wien to A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn. The Estonian side produced a big surprises in the previous round by eliminating Azerbaijani club Zira 2-1 on aggregate after earlier overcoming Lithuania’s Hegelmann 4-1 over two legs.
This is Paide’s third appearance in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round in the past five seasons. Their previous campaigns ended against Anderlecht (0-5 on aggregate in 2022/23) and BK Häcken (2-7 on aggregate in 2024/25). This time another difficult challenge awaits, with Rapid Wien arriving after a commanding 9-3 aggregate victory over Andorran side Santa Coloma.
The winners of that tie will meet the loser of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round clash between Benfica and Hearts in the Conference League play-off round.
An hour later, three more Baltic clubs begin their European evenings.
In the champions path, Estonian champions Flora Tallinn travel to face Andorran champions Inter d’Escaldes. Flora dropped into the Conference League after a dramatic 4-5 aggregate defeat to Georgian champions Iberia 1999 in the Champions League first qualifying round before bouncing back by eliminating Welsh champions The New Saints on penalties.
Inter d’Escaldes, meanwhile, were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Lincoln Red Imps in the Champions League first qualifying round but advanced directly into the Conference League third qualifying round as a lucky loser. With no European fixtures since 14 July, the Andorran champions have instead prepared by playing several friendlies against Spanish opposition.
Victory over two legs would leave Flora just one round away from returning to the UEFA Conference League league phase. Their play-off opponents would be either Kosovan champions Drita or San Marino champions Tre Fiori.
Back in Latvia, Riga FC host Hungarian champions Gyor at Skonto Stadium in another champions path encounter.
Both clubs entered the Conference League after suffering first qualifying round exits from the UEFA Champions League. Riga FC were eliminated by Ararat-Armenia, while Gyor fell to Icelandic champions Vikingur. Both responded by progressing through the Conference League second qualifying round, although Riga FC needed extra time and four additional goals to eliminate North Macedonian side Vardar 8-4 on aggregate, while Gyor comfortably defeated Luxembourg champions Bissen 7-3 over two legs.
Although Gyor famously reached the European Cup semi-finals in the 1964/65 season before losing to Eusebio’s Benfica, neither club has ever reached the main phase of a modern UEFA competition. Thursday’s tie offers both sides another opportunity to move one step closer to achieving that milestone.
The winner will face the loser of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie between Polish champions Lech Poznan and Faroese champions KI Klaksvik.
The final Baltic club in action is Žalgiris Vilnius, who host Hajduk Split in front of a sold-out home crowd.
Žalgiris arrive full of confidence after last week’s remarkable comeback against Dinamo Tbilisi. Having lost the first leg by three goals, the Lithuanian side scored four times in the final 17 minutes of the return leg to complete a stunning 7-5 aggregate victory. It is only the third time in club history that Žalgiris have reached the third qualifying round via the non-champions path and their first since the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League campaign, when they were eliminated 0-6 on aggregate by Sevilla.
The Lithuanian side began their Conference League campaign by defeating Montenegrin club Petrovac in the opening round. Hajduk Split, meanwhile, started their European season in the UEFA Europa League, where they eliminated Slovak side Žilina before surrendering a two-goal first-leg advantage and losing 2-4 after extra time on aggregate to Cypriot Pafos, dropping into the Conference League.
The winners of the tie will meet either Polish side Rakow Czestochowa or Swedish club Hammarby in the UEFA Conference League play-off round.
