THE draw for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League is set to take place on Monday, when the Inver Reds will find out who they will face in our latest European tie.
Scheduled to take place at 1pm BST in Nyon, Larne enter the draw having received a bye through the second qualifying round of games which are due to take place this coming week.
The champions path of the third qualifying round has previously been open, however it is reported that teams may this year be divided into seeded and unseeded groupings which would narrow who we could draw from seven down to four by the morning of the draw.
Once the draw methods are confirmed, this will be reported on the club’s social media channels. In advance of this, we have provided a breakdown on the teams who will be involved in Monday’s draw.
HJK (Finland)
The reigning Finnish champions are the other side to have benefitted from a bye to put them straight into the third qualifying round of the Conference League, having been defeated 4-1 on aggregate by Lithuanian outfit FK Panevėžys in the Champions League.
Familiar opposition to the Invermen, HJK are midway through their league season and at the time of writing sit second in the Veikkausliiga. Currently in the midst of a competitive title race, they are topped only by KuPS on goal difference after 16 games played.
A draw against HJK would see Larne fans return to Helsinki for the second time in as many seasons, following last year’s narrow 3-2 aggregate defeat to the team from Finland’s capital city.
FC Flora Tallinn (Estonia) / Virtus A.C. 1964 (San Marino)
The winner of this tie could face Larne in the next round, subject to draw seeding. FC Flora will likely go into the clash as strong favourites due to a superior European record compared to their San Marinese counterparts.
The Estonian champions were seeded going into the first qualifying round of the Champions League but lost 7-1 on aggregate to NK Celje of Slovenia. Reigning champions of their home nation, FC Flora currently sit third in the Meistriliiga and are 15 points away from league leaders Levadia.
With a squad full of Estonian players, FC Flora can count on plenty of experience at the highest level of the game amongst their ranks, including captain Konstantin Vassiljev who boasts 158 caps for his country.
Virtus A.C. entered this summer’s UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, having won their maiden Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio title in 2023/24. Despite a valiant effort, the San Marinese champions lost 11-1 on aggregate to a strong FCSB side, champions of Romania.
If seeding is in place for the Conference League draw, a victorious FC Flora would be seeded and could be potential opponents for Larne, whilst a Virtus A.C. victory would most likely result in both them and the Inver Reds being unseeded.
FC Pyunik (Armenia) / FC Struga (Macedonia)
A competitive second qualifying round tie is expected between the champions of Armenia and Macedonia, after both sides lost out in their UEFA Champions League ties this past week.
Pyunik exited UEFA’s elite competition in devastating fashion, conceding a 90th minute penalty to Dinamo Minsk which decided their tie which had been scoreless over two legs. Boasting a squad which includes Armenian internationals amongst other European, African and South American nationalities, Pyunik are in a similar situation to Larne in that the qualifying rounds take place during their domestic off-season.
FC Struga were handed the difficult task of facing Slovan Bratislava in their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, ultimately losing out 6-3 in aggregate after losing both legs of their tie.
The Macedonian First Football League winners are also currently in their off-season, having won their division on goal difference last season. Their squad is predominantly made up of Macedonian players, a number of which have represented North Macedonia at full international level.
If seeding is in place for the Conference League draw, both sides would have a chance of being seeded if they are victorious which would make them potential opponents for Tiernan Lynch’s side.
FC Ballkani (Kosovo) / Hamrun Spartans (Malta)
Larne could face the winner of this tie, with Ballkani expected to recover from their shock Champions League exit and proceed past the Maltese champions.
Having reached the Conference League for the second successive season last campaign, Ballkani were hotly tipped to make easy work UE Santa Coloma in the Champions League first qualifying round, only to lose 6-5 on penalties after drawing 3-3 on aggregate over two legs.
The Kosovan champions will no doubt have the ability to re-group and make a push for Conference League group stages via the champions path, but are currently in their off-season during qualifying rounds which could be a factor in the competition.
Despite winning their second leg in Gibraltar 1-0 against Lincoln Red Imps this week, Hamrun Spartans crashed out of the Champions League on penalties.
Having reached the third qualifying round stage of the Conference League last season, the Maltese league winners’ squad is made primarily of players from Malta and Brazil and like Ballkani, they are also in their off-season during qualifying.
A return to Kosovo could be on the cards for Larne if FC Ballkani come out as winners of this tie, whilst it is expected Hamrun Spartans could also be unseeded if they are victorious.
FC Dinamo Batumi (Georgia) / FK Dečić (Montenegro)
Similarly to the tie above, journalists are backing Dinamo Batumi to get past Decic and progress into the third qualifying round.
The Georgian champions were dealt a difficult hand against Ludogorets in this year’s Champions League clash but impressed over two legs losing narrowly 3-2 on aggregate against their formidable opponents.
Currently 18 games into their domestic campaign, Batumi find themselves in fourth place at the time of writing, eight points off league leaders Dila. With a fairly diverse squad at their disposal, the Georgian side do boast various home-grown players with senior international caps to their name.
FK Dečić enter the Conference League having lost 4-1 to Welsh champions The New Saints in the Champions League. Having won last season’s Montenegrin league by six points, Dečić became national champions for the first time in their 98-year history.
Currently in their off-season, Montenegro’s new champions will go into their clash with Dinamo Batumi aiming to secure a first-ever European victory.
If Dinamo Batumi are victorious in this tie, they may be a potential opponent for Larne if seeding comes into play for the draw depending on other results. Like the Inver Reds, FK Dečić would be unseeded for the draw, ruling out a first trip to Montenegro for the Inver Army.
FC Differdange 03 (Luxembourg) / FC Ordabasy (Kazakhstan)
Another competitive tie is to be expected between two sides who lost out narrowly in their Champions League first qualifying round ties this past week.
Despite drawing 0-0 in their second leg against last year’s giant killers KI Klaksvik, Differdange lost 2-0 on aggregate overall and will now enter the Conference League for the third successive season.
Having won their division by 5 points last season, Differdange are another side in their off season. Following a similar trend to other teams in the draw, their squad is made up of a variety of different nationalities from across Europe and South America.
FC Ordabasy are the reigning champions of Kazakhstan and enter the Conference League by way of a 1-0 aggregate defeat to CS Petrocub of Moldova. The Blue and Whites are 12 games into their domestic season and at the time of writing find themselves top of the Kazakhstan Premier League having lost just one game.
Their squad is predominantly made up of home-grown players, many of which regularly feature for the Kazakhstan national team. Defender Serhiy Malyi leads the way with senior international caps, having represented his country 67 times.
If seeding is involved in Monday’s draw, both of these clubs are likely to join Larne in being unseeded.
Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland) / FK Egnatia (Albania)
The final two teams in our list of potential opponents are the champions of Iceland and Albania. If seeding is used for the draw, it is likely that these teams will be unseeded alongside Larne.
Vikingur enter the Conference League having lost out in dramatic fashion to Shamrock Rovers this past week. After drawing 0-0 in the first leg, the Icelandic side missed a last-minute penalty in Dublin which resulted in Rovers taking the tie 2-1 on aggregate.
The side from Iceland’s capital are flying high in their domestic league, leading the way by five points after 14 games. Their squad is vastly home grown with just a few non-Icelandic European players amongst others who have represented Iceland at international level.
After entering the Champions League for the very first time this summer, FK Egnatia suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat to Borac Banja Luka on penalties after drawing 2-2 on aggregate during normal time.
Enjoying a successful period domestically, Egnatia qualified for Europe for the first time last season, again losing out on penalties in the first qualifying round of the Conference League. This didn’t stop the team from going on to secure a first-ever Superliga title that season and the Albanian champions are currently in their off season with a squad made up of predominantly home grown players.
