Dungannon Swifts defeated Cliftonville on penalties to lift the Irish Cup in May Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts will face Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz in their first European fixture in 18 years. Rodney McAree's side enter the Uefa Conference League at the second stage of qualifying, the draw for which the draw took place on Wednesday. Meanwhile the winners of the first qualifying round tie between Irish Premiership European play-off winners Cliftonville and St Joseph's of Gibraltar will face League of Ireland Premier Division side Shamrock Rovers in the second qualifying round. Larne will take on FC Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova or FC Prishtina of Kosovo should they defeat Latvian outfit FRK Auda in round one. Irish Premiership champions Linfield could face familiar opposition in the form of Qarabag if they overcome Shelbourne in the first round of Champions League qualifying. The first leg of that tie will be played on 22 or 23 July, with the Blues or Shels at home, followed by the second leg on 29 or 30 July. David Healy's side lost on away goals to the Azerbaijan side in Europa League qualifying in 2019 despite a famous Shayne Lavery-inspired win at Windsor Park. The loser of the Linfield-Shelbourne tie will drop into the Conference League second round and will play the defeated side between FK Zalgiris of Lithuania and Hamrun Spartans of Malta. Linfield draw Shelbourne in Champions League qualifying The ties for the second round of Conference League qualifying are scheduled for Thursday, 24 and Thursday, 31 July. Dungannon qualified for Europe by beating Cliftonville on penalties in a dramatic Irish Cup final in May. Swifts have twice played in Europe before, when they lost in the 2006 Intertoto Cup to Keflavik IF in the first round and in qualifying for the 2007-08 Uefa Cup, when they were defeated by Lithuanian side FK Suduva. If Irish Premiership clubs can progress past the second round of qualifying then they are potentially four matches away from replicating Larne's historic run to the League stage of the Conference League last season.
Swifts to play Vaduz and Reds could face Shamrock Rovers
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"Dungannon Swifts to Face FC Vaduz in UEFA Conference League Qualifying"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Dungannon Swifts, the Irish Cup winners, will make their return to European football after an 18-year hiatus, facing FC Vaduz from Liechtenstein in the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds. The Swifts secured their place in Europe by defeating Cliftonville in a tense penalty shootout during the Irish Cup final held in May. Under the management of Rodney McAree, this match marks a significant milestone for the Swifts, who have previously participated in European competitions but have not enjoyed success, losing in the early rounds of the 2006 Intertoto Cup and the 2007-08 UEFA Cup. The upcoming match against Vaduz will be the first of the club's European fixtures since those earlier attempts, and it represents an opportunity for the team to establish a new legacy on the continental stage.
In addition to Dungannon's matchup, other Irish clubs are also gearing up for European competition. Cliftonville, who fell to the Swifts in the Irish Cup final, will face St Joseph's of Gibraltar in the first qualifying round, with the winner set to take on Shamrock Rovers in the second qualifying round. Meanwhile, Larne is looking to advance against FRK Auda from Latvia, with a potential clash against either FC Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova or FC Prishtina from Kosovo awaiting them. Irish Premiership champions Linfield are also in the mix, facing Shelbourne in the Champions League qualifying rounds, with the potential to encounter Qarabag again should they progress. The stakes are high for these clubs, as advancing through these rounds could lead them closer to replicating Larne's impressive run to the League stage of the Conference League last season. Matches are set to take place in late July, and all eyes will be on these teams as they strive for success in Europe.
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