UEFA delegates met on Tuesday afternoon as the first-round draws unfolded in Nyon, Switzerland to kick-off the 2025/26 European campaign for all three competitions.

Across the three competitions Irish eyes were firmly set on both the UEFA Champions League and Europa Conference League respectively, with five clubs across the island involved.

This season’s draw is the first time groupings have been introduced to the early stages to lessen the tedious nature that is infamously involved in these UEFA draws, as 92 teams await their European destiny.

The groupings allow for teams to be paired with a specific set of opponents they could face depending on whether a side is seeded or unseeded, with these rankings being determined based on league and club co-efficient rankings. With the Champions League pairing up to five opponents, and UEFA’s third tier, the Uefa Conference League, being paired with four potential opponents.

The tie of the round is most certainly the all-island clash between Linfield and Shelbourne. Damien Duff’s side will open their inaugural Champions League campaign against David Healy’s Blues in what will certainly be a keenly contested affair on Irish soil.

The two-legged knockout affair is set to take place on 8th or 9th July with the return leg at Windsor Park scheduled for the following week in the first round of Europe’s elite competition.

In Europe’s third tier Cliftonville, Larne and St Patrick’s Athletic enter the opening round of the Europa Conference League with hopes of group stage football hanging in the balance.

The fixture dates are the 10th and 17th of July which will see the sides involved begin their journey on the continent.

The Reds secured European football after a 2-0 victory against Coleraine in the European play-off at the end of May.

Jim Magilton’s men will be hoping they can overcome the first hurdle in Europe after last season saw them knocked out at the hands of Latvian side FC Auda in a disappointing early exit. Cliftonville face the trip to Gibraltar where they will face St Joseph’s of Gibraltar as they begin their European escapade on. Meanwhile, fellow Irish Premiership side Larne will face Latvian side FK Auda and St Patrick’s Athletic will take the 5,000-kilometer round trip to face Lithuanian side FC Hegelmann.

Ironically, both Larne and Cliftonville have swapped opponents from the same round last season, and both will be hoping that European success can kick-start their season on a high-note.

The ties commence in just under a month’s time, with the pre-season fixtures already penned into the diary for the Reds.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFYING ROUND ONE

Shelbourne FC v Linfield

UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE QUALIFYING ROUND ONE

Larne v FK Auda (LATVIA)

St Joseph’s (GIBRALTAR) v Cliftonville

St Patrick’s Athletic v FC Hegelmann (LITHUANIA)