UEFA Conference League: Who could Caernarfon, Connah’s Quay and Penybont draw?
The UEFA Conference League first and second qualifying round draws are set to take place this week.
Three Welsh clubs will represent Wales in Europe in the third-tier competition this summer: Caernarfon Town, Connah’s Quay Nomads, and Penybont.
Caernarfon qualified by winning the Welsh Cup, while Connah’s Quay secured a European place by finishing second in the Cymru Premier. Penybont booked their spot despite a lengthy winless run, defeating Haverfordwest County in the European Play-Off final.
When is the draw, and how can I watch it?
The draw for the first qualifying round will take place on Tuesday, June 16. A day later, on Wednesday, June 17, the second qualifying round draw will be held, giving the Welsh clubs an indication of who they could face should they progress from their opening ties.
UEFA will stream the draw on their website; a link will be provided here when it is published.
When are the matches?
First qualifying round ties will be played over two legs on Thursday, July 9 and Thursday, July 16.
Penybont will play their European home matches at the Cardiff City Stadium, while Connah’s Quay Nomads will stage their fixtures at Colwyn Bay.
Caernarfon Town have yet to confirm a venue for their home ties, although the club remains optimistic that The Oval will be approved to host their UEFA Conference League matches. UEFA U19 Championship matches are being held in Caernarfon, and so they are pushing for it to be ready.
UEFA Conference League first qualifying round seeded teams
RFS – 12.500
FK Astana – 12.500
Zalgiris Vilnius – 12.00
Shkendija Tetovo – 10.875
FC Ballkani – 10.000
Pyunik Yerevan – 10.000
Linfield – 9.500
Hamrun Spartans – 8.500
Milsami Orhei – 7.500
Levadia Tallinn – 7.500
Paide Linnameeskond – 7.500
Differdange 03 – 6.500
Dinamo Minsk – 6.500
Vllaznia Shkoder – 6.500
Vikingur – 6.000
La Fiorita – 6.000
Zira FK – 5.500
Decic Tuzi – 5.500
Díla Gori – 5.500
BATE Borisov – 5.500
FK Sarajevo – 5.000
Atletic Club d’Escaldes – 5.000
St Joseph’s – 5.000
FC Santa Coloma – 5.000
Dinamo Tbilisi – 5.000
Alashkert – 5.000
ALASHKERT (Armenia)
A former Armenian champion, Alashkert have plenty of European experience despite a decline from their peak years. The club previously faced Welsh champions The New Saints in UEFA Europa League qualifying and remain a respected opponent on the continental stage.
FC SANTA COLOMA (Andorra)
One of Andorra’s most successful clubs, FC Santa Coloma are regular participants in UEFA competitions. The club will be familiar to Welsh football followers after eliminating Penybont in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers. Winning 2-0 in the second leg while drawing 1-1 when they came to Wales as Chris Venables was on the scoresheet.
Billy Borge of Penybont at full time with Kane Owen of Penybont.
Santa Coloma v Penybont in the UEFA Europa Conference League 1st Qualifying Round at the Estadi Comunal on the 20th July 2023. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
FK SARAJEVO (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Among Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most historic clubs, FK Sarajevo have become regular challengers for domestic honours and European qualification. They have previous experience against Welsh opposition, having defeated Connah’s Quay Nomads in 2020. The club is also known by Cardiff City fans, Vincent Tan the owner of the Bluebirds was an owner of the club up until last year.
FC DIFFERDANGE 03 (Luxembourg)
A dominant force in Luxembourg football, Differdange have won the league title in the country in the last two of three season, losing the league title by goal difference last season. The club also has previous experience against Welsh opposition after overcoming The New Saints last season, knocking out Craig Harrison’s side.
LINFIELD (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland’s most successful club, Linfield have won 57 league titles and 44 Irish Cups in the country. The Belfast-based side have faced Welsh opposition before when they faces The New Saints. They knocked out TNS in Champions League qualifying in 2022.
KF SHKËNDIJA (North Macedonia)
One of North Macedonia’s leading clubs, Shkëndija are regular title challengers. The club have played high profile clubs such as AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur and have played Welsh opposition in the past. They played Haverfordwest County where the Bluebirds came out on top and knocked out the side.
They also faced The New Saints last season knocking them out in the first round of qualifying for the Champions League. Last season they played in the Conference League getting knocked out in the play-offs as they faced the runners-up in their first game.
FK ASTANA (Kazakhstan)
Astana are one of the most experienced clubs in this year’s qualifying rounds, having competed in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League group stages. The side famously beat Manchester United in 2019 with a 2-1 win in the Europa League
The Kazakh side previously lost to The New Saints in 2024 losing 2-0 with Rory Holden and Declan McManus scoring the goals as that was the first time a Welsh Domestic won in a league/group stage match.
RFS (Latvia)
A dominant force in Latvian football in recent seasons, RFS have established themselves as regular participants in UEFA competitions. The side were in Europe in the 2024/25 season where they faced the likes of Turkish giants Galatasaray, German side Eintracht Frankfurt and even beat Dutch Giants Ajax.
