By:
Graeme Hanna
Linfield, Larne, and Dungannon were informed of their next potential opponents in the Europa Conference League as the draw for the third qualifying round was made on Monday.
All three NIFL clubs will need to get through their second round ties to fulfil the fixtures, with a mixed outlook ahead.
Linfield will play Vikingur of the Faroe Islands, in what is a very winnable tie, but first they need to overcome the significant obstacle that is Lithuania’s Zalgiris, who dispatched the Blues from Champions League qualification back in 2021.
With David Healy’s team desperate to make a push for group stage football, the potential Vikingur tie is a massive incentive to rise above Zalgiris, with the first leg in Vilnius this Thursday.
Some Linfield fans will be dreaming of victory in the Faroes, but the first step on the road after the Champions League loss to Shelbourne is to bring back a positive result from Lithuania.
Potential opponents confirmed 💥
NIFL 🌍 @Conf_League #SportsDirectPrem pic.twitter.com/NvEC8yWXA1
— NI Football League (@OfficialNIFL) July 21, 2025
Irish League clubs in the Europa Conference League
Fresh from their penalty shootout glory over Auda in Latvia, Nathan Rooney’s Larne team will take on Kosovan side FC Prishtina in the second qualifying round, with the carrot of an exotic trip to the mid-Atlantic on the cards.
The Inver Park club will take on Varazdin of Croatia or Portugal’s Santa Clara, if they can progress again.
When we say Portugal, we don’t mean it in strict geographic terms as the surprise package of last season’s Primeira Liga are from the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, located around 930 miles away from the mainland. What a trip that would be!
Elsewhere, reigning Irish Cup holders Dungannon Swifts are preparing for their first foray into Europe since 2007, when they take on Vaduz in the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
It will be an uphill task for Rodney McAree’s men, especially as they are playing the home leg at Cliftonville’s Solitude ground, but if they can overcome the team from Liechtenstein, they will be rewarded with a glamour tie against Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar as long as they beat Ilves Tampere, as expected.
With Cliftonville’s disappointing exit in the first qualifying round at the hands of St Joseph’s of Gibraltar, the Irish League clubs could really do with a boost in this round.
It won’t come easy, that is the harsh reality, but Linfield, Larne, and Dungannon will be determined to make an impact.
Keep an eye on the Blues, who will be better for the two high-intensity games against Shelbourne, while the Invermen will want more. Once again, they will play at the Ballymena Showgrounds, and with the Swifts also on the road, expect goals at both ends in their game against Vaduz on Thursday.
Image credit: larnefc/X
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