It was a difficult week in Europe for the remaining Cymru Premier clubs as both The New Saints and Caernarfon suffered heavy first leg defeats.
With the current standings, Wales will drop to 51st in the coefficient rankings being overtaken by Montenegro. If they remain in the same position the league will only have three European spots for the 2026/27 season.
However there are still a minimum of six European fixtures left to be played between TNS and Caernarfon still leaving plenty of opportunity to gain further coefficient points to improve the rankings.
Achieving better results in these matches is vital not only for the clubs’ progression but also for maintaining and enhancing the league’s representation in European competitions, which significantly impacts the prestige and competitiveness of Welsh football.
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In the first European fixture of the week TNS travelled to Hungary where they suffered a 5-0 loss against Ferencvaros with three goals from Mali international Adama Traoré helped the Hungarian side to a comfortable victory.
Backed by a passionate crowd of over 13,000 the Hungarian champions have all but guaranteed their place in the next qualifying round.
Craig Harrison’s men now need a miracle to keep their Champions League journey alive as they host the second leg next Tuesday.
Speaking after the fixture Harrison said: “Obviously disappointing, no one likes getting beat by five goals, it’s a tough one to take it was a really tough game.
They’ve showed us the ultimate respect by probably playing the strongest team they have available and I think it proved tonight that they’ve got some very very good players.”
Despite the heavy defeat the 46-year old is remaining optimistic for the second leg next Tuesday at Park Hall knowing that any result could be beneficial not only for his club but every club in the nation.
“We want to try and win that game, we’ve got a really good record at Park Hall. It puts us in a difference place again not just for coefficient points but confidence for the next round.”
Their opponents for the Europa League third qualifying round clash should they be eliminated next week will be between FC Petrocub Hîncești of Romania or APOEL of Cyprus.
The Cypriot side have a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg next week where they travel to Romania hoping to keep their place in The Champions League.
Caernarfon hit for six against 15-time Polish champions
It was an equally difficult night for Caernarfon in their second European tie as they suffered a 6-0 defeat away to Polish side Legia Warsaw.
Legia Warsaw, Poland’s most successful football club, has won the Ekstraklasa title 15 times. They are known for their consistent dominance, with a rich history in both domestic and European competitions.
In what was expected to be a huge task against a professional squad that included a Polish international, The Cofis will look to cause the upset in North Wales next week to aid the nations coefficient rankings.
Speaking to Sgorio after the final whistle manager Richard Davies said: “It’s mixed emotions because nobody expected us to get a result, but to be completely honest it’s a massive missed opportunity.
We’ve gifted them two goals in the first half where small margins in games like this with the quality their team has got they’re going to punish you.”
The fixture that was played behind closed doors due to a UEFA ruling on the home fans was the main disappointment for the Caernarfon boss.
“That’s the most disappointing thing for everyone at the club. We’ve been able to have such a great experience out in Belfast and the fans were phenomenal” Davies told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s unfair that the away supporters are being punished for something that somebody else has done.
That’s really frustrating but it is what it is and in the home match we’ll try and get as many as we can into the ground.”
