Eisspeedway

Northern Ireland football clubs in European competitions

Irish League football clubs have participated in European football competitions since 1957, when in the 1957–58 season, Glenavon took part in the European Cup – the first Irish League club to do so. In total, 16 clubs have represented Northern Ireland in European competition.

History

As of the 2020–21 season, the NIFL Premiership champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The runners-up, the Europa League play-off winners and the Irish Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League. If, however, the cup winners have already qualified for Europe by finishing first or second in the league, the Europa Conference League place goes to the league's third-placed club.

Only the league champions have ever represented the Irish League in the European Cup/Champions League. Glenavon were the first team ever to represent Northern Ireland in any of the four competitions, when in the first round of the 1957–58 European Cup they played out a 0–0 draw against Danish side AGF in Aarhus, Denmark on 11 September 1957. They played the home leg two weeks later, losing 3–0. In the 1959–60 season, Linfield became the first Irish League club to win a match in the competition, in what was their first ever European Cup match. They defeated Swedish side Göteborg 2–1 at Windsor Park on 9 September 1959, however two weeks later they lost the away leg 6–1 which meant that they lost the tie 7–3 on aggregate. Linfield hold the record of the most participations in the European Cup/Champions League by any Northern Irish club to date, having appeared in 27 seasons of the competition up to and including 2012–13.

Participation in the secondary competitions began with Glentoran in the 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Spanish side Real Zaragoza. A 2–0 defeat in the first leg at the Oval was followed by a 6–2 defeat away from home in the second leg. They lost the tie 8–2 on aggregate. Glentoran hold the record of the most participations in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League by any Northern Irish club to date, having appeared in 21 seasons of the competition. They also hold the record of the most appearances by a Northern Irish club in European competitions overall, having appeared in 42 seasons up to and including 2013–14 – one season more than Linfield who have made 41 appearances.

In 1960, Glenavon were drawn to face East German side Wismut in the first round of the 1960–61 European Cup. However, they were forced to withdraw when they were refused visas for East Germany and Wismut were refused visas for the UK. UEFA had allowed the matches to take place in neutral countries but that was not financially viable for Glenavon, so they were left with no option but to withdraw.[1] A similar issue arose the following season when in the first round of the 1961–62 European Cup, Linfield were drawn to face another East German team, Vorwärts. The away leg was played, which Linfield lost 3–0. However, Vorwärts were denied visas for the UK to play the second leg, and similarly to Glenavon the previous season, travelling to play the game in a neutral country was not financially viable for Linfield so they were also forced to withdraw from the competition.[2]

In 1965, Derry City became the first Northern Irish club to win a two-legged European tie. In the 1965–66 European Cup, the club's last ever appearance in European competition as an Irish League club, they defeated Lyn 8–6 on aggregate in a high-scoring tie. In the second round, they faced Anderlecht from Belgium but suffered a huge 9–0 loss in the away leg and later withdrew from the competition before the second leg was played, when the Irish Football Association ruled that their home ground was not up to standard.[3] In 1972, the club withdrew from senior Northern Irish football and after 13 years of playing amateur football in lower leagues, they joined the League of Ireland in the Irish Republic in 1985.[4]

In 1969, both Coleraine and Glentoran entered the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the first time more than one Northern Irish club had ever been entered into the same European competition. Glentoran lost in the first round, but Coleraine impressively got through to the second round. The two most notable successes in Europe are Linfield reaching the quarter-finals of the 1966–67 European Cup and Glentoran reaching the quarter-finals of the 1973–74 European Cup Winners' Cup.

In 1976, Irish League B Division club Carrick Rangers won the Irish Cup by defeating strong favourites Linfield 2–1 in the final. This qualified them to take part in European competition for the first, and to date only time – in the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup. They defeated Aris from Luxembourg 4–3 on aggregate in the first round, before going out 9–3 on aggregate to English side Southampton in the second round. To date, this is the only occasion that a club from outside the top division of football in Northern Ireland has represented the country in European competition.

The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League saw Linfield drawn to face Dynamo Tbilisi of Georgia in the preliminary round. After losing 3–2 on aggregate, they were reinstated when their opponents were expelled from the competition for allegedly attempting to bribe match officials.[5] Linfield then went on to face Copenhagen in the first round proper. They won the first leg 3–0, but lost the second leg 4–0 after extra time. This proved costly, as victory would have meant a financially lucrative tie against eventual champions Milan in the next round.[6] In July 2013, Linfield became the first Northern Irish club to win both the home leg and the away leg of a European tie. In the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round they were drawn to face ÍF Fuglafjørður from the Faroe Islands. They won the away leg 2–0 and then won the home leg 3–0 at Windsor Park to complete a comfortable 5–0 aggregate victory. In the second qualifying round they were drawn to face Skoda Xanthi of Greece and won the first leg 1–0 away from home despite being massive underdogs for the tie. This made it three consecutive victories in Europe for the club, without conceding a goal in the process – another first for a Northern Irish club. However, in the second leg at home they went down 2–1 after extra time, which eliminated them on the away goals rule.

In the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League, Linfield progressed to the Play-Off Round, defeating Azerbaijani champions Qarabag 3–2 at Windsor Park to get within one game of becoming the first ever Irish League club to qualify for the group stage of a UEFA competition. However they lost the second leg 2–1 in Baku, and were eliminated on the away goals rule.

Statistics

As of 26 August 2022

UEFA Intertoto Cup

Overall

UEFA coefficient and ranking

For the 2022–23 UEFA competitions, the associations will be allocated places according to their 2021 UEFA country coefficients, which will take into account their performance in European competitions from 2016–17 to 2020–21. In the 2021 rankings used to allocate berths for the 2022–23 European competitions, Northern Ireland's coefficient points total will be 6.958. After earning a score of 2.833 during the 2020–21 European campaign, Northern Ireland will remain as the 42nd best association in Europe out of 55 for the second consecutive season.

Rank Nation Points
40  Latvia 7.375
41  Albania 7.250
42  Northern Ireland 6.958
43  Georgia 6.875
44  Finland 6.875

Appearances in UEFA competitions

As of 26 August 2022

Club UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League

(including Inter-Cities Fairs Cup)

UEFA Europa Conference League UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Intertoto Cup Total
Apps P W D L Apps P W D L Apps P W D L Apps P W D L Apps P W D L Apps P W D L
Linfield[7] 33 78 11 23 44 17 47 15 9 23 2 6 1 3 2 3 6 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 55 137 29 35 73
Glentoran[8] 12 28 3 7 18 23 50 5 9 36 1 2 0 1 1 9 22 3 7 12 0 0 0 0 0 45 102 11 24 67
Crusaders[9] 6 14 1 2 11 11 26 6 4 16 1 4 1 1 2 3 6 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 21 50 8 9 33
Coleraine[10] 1 2 0 0 2 12 29 4 8 17 1 2 0 0 2 4 8 0 1 7 1 4 1 1 2 19 45 5 10 30
Glenavon[11] 1[nb 1][1] 2 0 1 1 10 20 2 2 16 0 0 0 0 0 5 10 1 3 6 1 2 0 1 1 17 34 3 7 24
Portadown[12] 3 6 0 1 5 11 28 3 7 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 36 4 8 24
Cliftonville[13] 3 6 0 1 5 7 20 4 4 12 1 2 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 2 3 10 1 2 7 15 40 5 7 28
Ballymena United[14] 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 2 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 8 0 0 8 1 2 0 1 1 8 18 2 2 14
Ards[15] 1 2 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 3 1 4 0 0 4 5 12 1 1 10
Lisburn Distillery[16] 1 2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 0 4 5 10 0 1 9
Bangor[17] 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 1 5
Larne[18] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 4 2 2
Derry City[19][nb 2] 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 1 0 4
Dungannon Swifts[20] 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 2 4 1 1 2
Omagh Town[nb 3] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 3 2 4 0 1 3
Carrick Rangers[21] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 3
Newry Town[22][nb 4] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2 0 2 1 4 2 0 2

Through the 2023/24 season, Northern Irish teams have played against teams from 48 of the 55 UEFA countries. They have yet to play against teams from Armenia, Austria, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Moldova and Russia; and Northern Irish clubs have never been paired with each other.

Active competitions

European Cup / UEFA Champions League

Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
European Cup
1957–58 Glenavon PR Denmark AGF 0–3 0–0 0–3
1958–59 Ards PR France Stade Reims 1–4 2–6 3–10
1959–60 Linfield PR Sweden Göteborg 2–1 1–6 3–7
1960–61 Glenavon PR East Germany Wismut Karl Marx Stadt w/o N/A[nb 1][1]
1961–62 Linfield PR East Germany Vorwärts Berlin w/o 0–3 0–3[nb 5][2]
1962–63 Linfield 1R Denmark Esbjerg 1–2 0–0 1–2
1963–64 Distillery PR Portugal Benfica 3–3 0–5 3–8
1964–65 Glentoran PR Greece Panathinaikos 2–3 2–2 4–5
1965–66 Derry City PR Norway Lyn 5–1 3–5 8–6
1R Belgium Anderlecht w/o 0–9 0–9[nb 6][3]
1966–67 Linfield 1R Luxembourg Aris 6–1 3–3 9–4
2R Norway Vålerengen 1–1 4–1 5–2
QF Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 2–2 0–1 2–3
1967–68 Glentoran 1R Portugal Benfica 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
1968–69 Glentoran 1R Belgium Anderlecht 2–2 0–3 2–5
1969–70 Linfield 1R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 2–4 0–8 2–12
1970–71 Glentoran 1R Republic of Ireland Waterford 1–3 0–1 1–4
1971–72 Linfield 1R Belgium Standard Liège 2–3 0–2 2–5
1972–73 None entered[nb 7]
1973–74 Crusaders 1R Romania Dinamo București 0–1 0–11 0–12
1974–75 Coleraine 1R Netherlands Feyenoord 1–4 0–7 1–11
1975–76 Linfield 1R Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1–2 0–8 1–10
1976–77 Crusaders 1R England Liverpool 0–5 0–2 0–7
1977–78 Glentoran 1R Iceland Valur 2–0 0–1 2–1
2R Italy Juventus 0–1 0–5 0–6
1978–79 Linfield 1R Norway Lillestrøm 0–0 0–1 0–1
1979–80 Linfield PR Republic of Ireland Dundalk 0–2 1–1 1–3
1980–81 Linfield 1R France Nantes 0–1 0–2 0–3
1981–82 Glentoran 1R Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn 4–0 1–1 5–1
2R Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 2–1 0–2 2–3
1982–83 Linfield 1R Albania 17 Nëntori 2–1 0–1 2–2 (a)
1983–84 Linfield 1R Portugal Benfica 2–3 0–3 2–6
1984–85 Linfield 1R Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 0–0 1–1 1–1 (a)
2R Greece Panathinaikos 3–3 1–2 4–5
1985–86 Linfield 1R Switzerland Servette 2–2 1–2 3–4
1986–87 Linfield 1R Norway Rosenborg 1–1 0–1 1–2
1987–88 Linfield 1R Norway Lillestrøm 2–4 1–1 3–5
1988–89 Glentoran 1R Soviet Union Spartak Moscow 1–1 0–2 1–3
1989–90 Linfield 1R Soviet Union Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–2 0–1 1–3
1990–91 Portadown 1R Portugal Porto 1–8 0–5 1–13
1991–92 Portadown 1R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 0–4 0–4 0–8
UEFA Champions League
1992–93 Glentoran 1R France Marseille 0–5 0–3 0–8
1993–94 Linfield PR Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 1–1 1–2 2–3[nb 8][5]
1R Denmark Copenhagen 3–0 0–4 3–4
1994–95 None entered[nb 9]
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98 Crusaders 1QR Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 1–3 1–5 2–8
1998–99 Cliftonville 1QR Slovakia Košice 1–5 0–8 1–13
1999–00 Glentoran 1QR Bulgaria Litex Lovech 0–2 0–3 0–5
2000–01 Linfield 1QR Finland Haka 2–1 0–1 2–2 (a)
2001–02 Linfield 1QR Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi 0–0 0–1 0–1
2002–03 Portadown 1QR Belarus Belshyna 0–0 2–3 2–3
2003–04 Glentoran 1QR Finland HJK 0–0 0–1 0–1
2004–05 Linfield 1QR Finland HJK 0–1 0–1 0–2
2005–06 Glentoran 1QR Republic of Ireland Shelbourne 1–2 1–4 2–6
2006–07 Linfield 1QR Slovenia Gorica 1–3 2–2 3–5
2007–08 Linfield 1QR Sweden Elfsborg 0–0 0–1 0–1
2008–09 Linfield 1QR Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 1–1 1–3
2009–10 Glentoran 2QR Israel Maccabi Haifa 0–4 0–6 0–10
2010–11 Linfield 2QR Norway Rosenborg 0–0 0–2 0–2
2011–12 Linfield 2QR Belarus BATE Borisov 1–1 0–2 1–3
2012–13 Linfield 1QR Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn 0–0 0–0 0–0 (4–3 p)
2QR Cyprus AEL Limassol 0–0 0–3 0–3
2013–14 Cliftonville 2QR Scotland Celtic 0–3 0–2 0–5
2014–15 Cliftonville 2QR Hungary Debrecen 0–0 0–2 0–2
2015–16 Crusaders 1QR Estonia Levadia Tallinn 0–0 1–1 1–1 (a)
2QR Albania Skënderbeu Korçë 3–2 1–4 4–6
2016–17 Crusaders 2QR Denmark Copenhagen 0–3 0–6 0–9
2017–18 Linfield 1QR San Marino La Fiorita 1–0 0–0 1–0
2QR Scotland Celtic 0–2 0–4 0–6
2018–19 Crusaders 1QR Bulgaria Ludogorets 0–2 0–7 0–9
2019–20 Linfield 1QR Norway Rosenborg 0–2 0–4 0–6
2020–21 Linfield PR San Marino Tre Fiori 2–0 N/A 2–0
Kosovo Dirta 3–0 N/A 3–0
(awd.)[nb 10]
1QR Poland Legia Warsaw 0–1 N/A 0–1
2021–22 Linfield 1QR Lithuania Žalgiris 1–3 1–2 2–5
2022–23 Linfield 1QR Wales The New Saints 2–0 0–1 2–1
2QR Norway Bodø/Glimt 1–0 0–8 1–8
2023–24 Larne 1QR Finland HJK Helsinki 0–1 2–2 2–3
2024–25 Larne 1QR Latvia RFS 0–4 0–3 0–7

PR = Preliminary round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; 1QR/2QR = First/Second qualifying round; QF = Quarter-finals

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League

Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
1962–63 Glentoran 1R Spain Real Zaragoza 0–2 2–6 2–8
1963–64 Glentoran 1R Scotland Partick Thistle 1–4 0–3 1–7
1965–66 Glentoran 1R Belgium Royal Antwerp 3–3 0–1 3–4
1967–68 Linfield 1R East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0 1–5 2–5
1968–69 Linfield 1R Portugal Vitória de Setúbal 1–3 0–3 1–6
1969–70 Glentoran 1R England Arsenal 1–0 0–3 1–3
Coleraine 1R Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch 4–0 2–3 6–3
2R Belgium Anderlecht 3–7 1–6 4–13
1970–71 Coleraine 1R Scotland Kilmarnock 1–1 3–2 4–3
2R Netherlands Sparta Rotterdam 1–2 0–2 1–4
UEFA Cup
1971–72 Glentoran 1R West Germany Eintracht Braunschweig 0–1 1–6 1–7
1972–73 None entered[nb 7]
1973–74 Ards 1R Belgium Standard Liège 3–2 1–6 4–8
1974–75 Portadown 1R Iceland Valur 2–1 0–0 2–1
2R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 1–1 0–5 1–6
1975–76 Glentoran 1R Netherlands Ajax 1–6 0–8 1–14
1976–77 Glentoran 1R Switzerland Basel 3–2 0–3 3–5
1977–78 Glenavon 1R Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 2–6 0–5 2–11
1978–79 Glentoran 1R Iceland IBV 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
1979–80 Glenavon 1R Belgium Standard Liège 0–1 0–1 0–2
1980–81 Ballymena United 1R East Germany Vorwärts Frankfurt 2–1 0–3 2–4
1981–82 Linfield 1R Belgium Beveren 0–3 0–5 0–8
1982–83 Glentoran 1R Czechoslovakia Baník Ostrava 1–3 0–1 1–4
1983–84 Coleraine 1R Netherlands Sparta Rotterdam 1–1 0–4 1–5
1984–85 Glentoran 1R Belgium Standard Liège 1–1 0–2 1–3
1985–86 Coleraine 1R East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–1 0–5 1–6
1986–87 Coleraine 1R East Germany Stahl Brandenburg 1–1 0–1 1–2
1987–88 Coleraine 1R Scotland Dundee United 0–1 1–3 1–4
1988–89 Linfield 1R Finland TPS Turku 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
1989–90 Glentoran 1R Scotland Dundee United 1–3 0–2 1–5
1990–91 Glenavon 1R France Bordeaux 0–0 0–2 0–2
1991–92 Bangor 1R Czechoslovakia Sigma Olomouc 0–3 0–3 0–6
1992–93 Portadown 1R Belgium Standard Liège 0–0 0–5 0–5
1993–94 Crusaders 1R Switzerland Servette 0–0 0–4 0–4
1994–95 Portadown PR Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 0–2 0–3 0–5
Linfield PR Iceland FH 3–1 0–1 3–2
1R Denmark Odense 1–1 0–5 1–6
1995–96 Crusaders PR Denmark Silkeborg 1–2 0–4 1–6
Glenavon PR Iceland FH 0–0 1–0 1–0
1R Germany Werder Bremen 0–2 0–5 0–7
1996–97 Crusaders PR Lithuania Zalgiris Vilnius 2–1 0–2 2–3
Portadown PR Serbia and Montenegro Vojvodina 0–1 1–4 1–5
1997–98 Coleraine 1QR Switzerland Grasshoppers 1–7 0–3 1–10
1998–99 Linfield 1QR Cyprus Omonia 5–3 1–5 6–8
1999–00 Linfield QR Georgia (country) Locomotive Tbilisi 1–1 0–1 1–2
Portadown QR Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 0–3 0–5 0–8
2000–01 Coleraine QR Sweden Örgryte 1–2 0–1 1–3
Glentoran QR Norway Lillestrøm 0–3 0–1 0–4
2001–02 Glenavon QR Scotland Kilmarnock 0–1 0–1 0–2
Glentoran QR Denmark Midtjylland 0–4 1–1 1–5
2002–03 Glentoran QR Poland Wisła Kraków 0–2 0–4 0–6
Linfield QR Norway Stabæk 1–1 0–4 1–5
2003–04 Coleraine QR Portugal União de Leiria 2–1 0–5 2–6
Portadown QR Sweden Malmö 0–2 0–4 0–6
2004–05 Portadown 1QR Lithuania Žalgiris Vilnius 2–2 0–2 2–4
Glentoran 1QR Finland Allianssi 2–2 2–1 4–3
2QR Sweden Elfsborg 0–1 1–2 1–3
2005–06 Portadown 1QR Norway Viking 1–2 0–1 1–3
Linfield 1QR Latvia Ventspils 1–0 1–2 2–2 (a)
2QR Sweden Halmstad 2–4 1–1 3–5
2006–07 Glentoran 1QR Norway Brann 0–1 0–1 0–2
Portadown 1QR Lithuania Kaunas 1–3 0–1 1–4
2007–08 Dungannon Swifts 1QR Lithuania Sūduva 1–0 0–4 1–4
Glentoran 1QR Sweden AIK 0–5 0–4 0–9
2008–09 Cliftonville 1QR Denmark Copenhagen 0–4 0–7 0–11
Glentoran 1QR Latvia Liepājas Metalurgs 1–1 0–2 1–3
UEFA Europa League
2009–10 Linfield 1QR Denmark Randers 0–3 0–4 0–7
Lisburn Distillery 1QR Georgia (country) Zestaponi 1–5 0–6 1–11
Crusaders 2QR North Macedonia Rabotnički 1–1 2–4 3–5
2010–11 Glentoran 1QR Iceland KR Reykjavík 2–2 0–3 2–5
Portadown 1QR Latvia Skonto 1–1 1–0 2–1
2QR Azerbaijan Qarabağ 1–2 1–1 2–3
Cliftonville 2QR Croatia Cibalia 1–0 0–0 1–0
3QR Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 1–2 0–3 1–5
2011–12 Cliftonville 1QR Wales The New Saints 0–1 1–1 1–2
Glentoran 1QR North Macedonia Renova 2–1 1–2 3–3 (3–2 p)
2QR Ukraine Vorskla Poltava 0–2 0–3 0–5
Crusaders 2QR England Fulham 1–3 0–4 1–7
2012–13 Cliftonville 1QR Sweden Kalmar 1–0 0–4 1–4
Crusaders 1QR Norway Rosenborg 0–3 0–1 0–4
Portadown 1QR North Macedonia Shkëndija 2–1 0–0 2–1
2QR Croatia Slaven Belupo 2–4 0–6 2–10
2013–14 Crusaders 1QR Norway Rosenborg 1–2 2–7 3–9
Glentoran 1QR Iceland KR Reykjavík 0–3 0–0 0–3
Linfield 1QR Faroe Islands ÍF Fuglafjørður 3–0 2–0 5–0
2QR Greece Skoda Xanthi 1–2 1–0 2–2 (a)
2014–15 Glenavon 1QR Iceland FH 2–3 0–3 2–6
Crusaders 1QR Lithuania Ekranas 3–1 2–1 5–2
2QR Sweden Brommapojkarna 1–1 0–4 1–5
Linfield 1QR Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn 1–1 2–1 3–2
2QR Sweden AIK 1–0 0–2 1–2
2015–16 Glenavon 1QR Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–2 0–3 1–5
Glentoran 1QR Slovakia MŠK Žilina 1–4 0–3 1–7
Linfield 1QR Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík 2–0 3–4 5–4
2QR Slovakia Spartak Trnava 1–3 1–2 2–5
2016–17 Glenavon 1QR Iceland KR Reykjavík 0–6 1–2 1–8
Linfield 1QR Republic of Ireland Cork City 0–1 1–1 1–2
Cliftonville 1QR Luxembourg FC Differdange 03 2–0 1–1 3–1
2QR Cyprus AEK Larnaca 2–3 0–2 2–5
2017–18 Ballymena United 1QR Norway Odds 0–2 0–3 0–5
Coleraine 1QR Norway Haugesund 0–0 0–7 0–7
Crusaders 1QR Latvia Liepāja 3–1 0–2 3–3 (a)
2018–19 Cliftonville 1QR Denmark Nordsjælland 0–1 1–2 1–3
Coleraine 1QR Serbia Spartak Subotica 1–1 0–2 1–3
Glenavon 1QR Norway Molde 2–1 1–5 3–6
2019–20 Ballymena United PR Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík 2–0 0–0 2–0
1QR Sweden Malmö 0–4 0–7 0–11
Cliftonville PR Wales Barry Town United 4–0 0–0 4–0
1QR Norway Haugesund 0–1 1–5 1–6
Crusaders 1QR Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn 2–0 3–2 5–2
2QR England Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–4 0–2 1–6
Linfield 2QR Faroe Islands HB Tórshavn 1–0 2–2 3–2
3QR Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 3–2 2–1 5–3
PLR Azerbaijan Qarabağ 3–2 1–2 4–4 (a)
2020–21 Coleraine PR San Marino HB La Fiorita 1–0 N/A 1–0
QR1 Slovenia Maribor 1–1 (5–4 p) N/A 1–1 (5–4 p)
QR2 Scotland Motherwell 2–2 (0–3 p) N/A 2–2 (0–3 p)
Glentoran PR Faroe Islands HB Tórshavn 1–0 N/A 1–0
QR1 Scotland Motherwell 1–5 N/A 1–5
Linfield QR2 Malta Floriana 0–1 N/A 0–1
2022–23 Linfield 3QR Switzerland Zürich 0–2 0–3 0–5

UEFA Europa Conference League

Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
UEFA Europa Conference League
2021–22 Coleraine 1QR Bosnia and Herzegovina Velež Mostar 1–2 1–2 2–4
Glentoran 1QR Wales The New Saints 1–1 0–2 1–3
Larne 1QR Wales Bala Town 1–0 1–0 2–0
2QR Denmark AGF 2–1 1–1 3–2
3QR Portugal Paços de Ferreira 1–0 0–4 1–4
Linfield 2QR Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac Banja Luka 4–0 0–0 4–0
3QR Luxembourg Fola Esch 1–2 1–2 2–4
2022–23 Cliftonville 1QR Slovakia Dunajská Streda 0–3 1–2 1–5
Crusaders 1QR Gibraltar Bruno's Magpies 3–1 1–2 3–1
2QR Switzerland Basel 1–1 0–2 1–3
Larne 1QR Gibraltar St Joseph's 0–1 0–0 0–1
Linfield PO Latvia RFS 1–1 2–2 3–3 (2–4 p)
2023-24 Linfield 1QR Albania Vllaznia 3-1 0-1 3-2
2QR Poland Pogoń Szczecin 2-5 2-3 4-8
Glentoran 1QR Malta Gżira 2-2 1-1 3-3 (13–14 p)
Crusaders 1QR Finland FC Haka 2-2 1-0 3-2
2QR Norway Rosenborg 2-2 2-3 (a.e.t) 4-5
Larne 2QR KosovoFC Ballkani 0-3 1-4 1-7
2024-25 Crusaders 1QR Wales Caernarfon Town 3-1 0-2 3-3 (7–8 p)
Linfield 1QR Iceland Stjarnan 3-2 0-2 3-4
Cliftonville 2QR Latvia Auda 1-2 0-2 1-4
Larne 2QR N/A 3-0 3-0 6-0
3QR Kosovo Ballkani 0-1 1-0 1-1 (4–1 p)
PO Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 3-1 1-2 4-3
GS Norway Molde N/A 0-3
Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers N/A
Switzerland St. Gallen N/A
Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana N/A
Belarus Dinamo Minsk N/A
Belgium Gent N/A

PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; 1QR/2QR/3QR = First/Second/Third qualifying round; PLR = Playoff round

Defunct competitions

European Cup Winners' Cup / UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
European Cup Winners' Cup
1961–62 Glenavon PR England Leicester City 1–4 1–3 2–7
1962–63 Portadown 1R Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia OFK Beograd 3–2 1–5 4–7
1963–64 Linfield 2R Turkey Fenerbahçe 2–0 1–4 3–4
1964–65 Derry City 1R Romania Steaua București 0–2 0–3 0–5
1965–66 Coleraine 1R Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 1–6 0–4 1–10
1966–67 Glentoran 1R Scotland Rangers 1–1 0–4 1–5
1967–68 Crusaders 1R Spain Valencia 2–4 0–4 2–8
1968–69 Crusaders 1R Sweden Norrköping 2–2 1–4 3–6
1969–70 Ards 1R Italy Roma 0–0 1–3 1–3
1970–71 Linfield 1R England Manchester City 2–1 0–1 2–2 (a)
1971–72 Distillery 1R Spain Barcelona 1–3 0–4 1–7
1972–73 None entered[nb 7]
1973–74 Glentoran 1R Romania Chimia Râmnicu Vâlcea 2–0 2–2 4–2
2R Norway Brann 3–1 1–1 4–2
QF West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 0–2 0–5 0–7
1974–75 Ards 1R Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1–4 0–10 1–14
1975–76 Coleraine 1R West Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 2–6 1–5 3–11
1976–77 Carrick Rangers 1R Luxembourg Aris 3–1 1–2 4–3
2R England Southampton 2–5 1–4 3–9
1977–78 Coleraine 1R East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–4 2–2 3–6
1978–79 Ballymena United 1R Belgium Beveren 0–3 0–3 0–6
1979–80 Cliftonville 1R France Nantes 0–1 0–7 0–8
1980–81 Crusaders 1R Wales Newport County 0–0 0–4 0–4
1981–82 Ballymena United 1R Italy Roma 0–2 0–4 0–6
1982–83 Coleraine 1R England Tottenham Hotspur 0–3 0–4 0–7
1983–84 Glentoran 1R France Paris Saint-Germain 1–2 1–2 2–4
1984–85 Ballymena United 1R Malta Ħamrun Spartans 0–1 1–2 1–3
1985–86 Glentoran 1R Iceland Fram Reykjavík 1–0 1–3 2–3
1986–87 Glentoran 1R East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–1 0–2 1–3
1987–88 Glentoran 1R Finland RoPS 1–1 0–0 1–1 (a)
1988–89 Glenavon 1R Denmark AGF 1–4 1–3 2–7
1989–90 Ballymena United 1R Belgium Anderlecht 0–4 0–6 0–10
1990–91 Glentoran 1R Romania Steaua București 1–1 0–5 1–6
1991–92 Glenavon 1R Finland Ilves 3–2 1–2 4–4 (a)
1992–93 Glenavon 1R Belgium Royal Antwerp 1–1 1–1 2–2 (1–3p)
1993–94 Bangor QR Cyprus APOEL 1–1 1–2 2–3
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
1994–95 Bangor QR Slovakia Tatran Prešov 0–1 0–4 0–5
1995–96 Linfield QR Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 1–4 1–5
1996–97 Glentoran QR Czech Republic Sparta Prague 1–2 0–8 1–10
1997–98 Glenavon QR Poland Legia Warsaw 1–1 0–4 1–5
1998–99 Glentoran QR Israel Maccabi Haifa 0–1 1–2 1–3

PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; QF = Quarter-finals

UEFA Intertoto Cup

Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
1996 Cliftonville GS Belgium Standard Liège 0–3
Israel Hapoel Haifa 1–1
Germany Stuttgart 1–4
Denmark AaB 0–4
1997 Ards GS Belgium Royal Antwerp 0–1
Cyprus Nea Salamis Famagusta 1–4
France Auxerre 0–3
Switzerland Lausanne Sports 0–6
1998 Omagh Town 1R Slovakia Rimavská Sobota 2–2 0–1 2–3
1999 Newry Town 1R Croatia Hrvatski Dragovoljac 2–0 0–1 2–1
2R Germany MSV Duisburg 1–0 0–2 1–2
2000 Glenavon 1R Croatia Slaven Belupo 1–1 0–3 1–4
2001 Cliftonville 1R Moldova Tiligul Tiraspol 1–3 0–1 1–4
2002 Coleraine 1R Andorra Sant Julià 5–0 2–2 7–2
2R France Troyes 1–2 1–2 2–4
2003 Omagh Town 1R Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–7 0–1 1–8
2004 Ballymena United 1R Denmark Odense 0–7 0–0 0–7
2005 Lisburn Distillery 1R Lithuania Žalgiris Vilnius 0–1 0–1 0–2
2006 Dungannon Swifts 1R Iceland Keflavik 0–0 1–4 1–4
2007 Cliftonville 1R Latvia Dinaburg 1–1 1–0 2–1
2R Belgium Gent 0–4 0–2 0–6
2008 Lisburn Distillery 1R Finland TPS Turku 2–3 1–3 3–6

GS = Group stage; 1R/2R = First/Second round

Notes

  1. ^ a b Glenavon qualified for both the 1957–58 European Cup and the 1960–61 European Cup but withdrew from the 1960–61 competition when both clubs were refused visas to enter each other's countries, and it was not financially viable for Glenavon to play the matches in neutral countries.
  2. ^ Derry City played in Northern Irish football until 1985, when they joined the League of Ireland and now represent the Republic of Ireland in European competition.
  3. ^ Omagh Town was dissolved in 2005 due to financial problems.
  4. ^ Newry Town changed its name to Newry City in 2004, and was later dissolved in 2012 due to financial problems.
  5. ^ Linfield withdrew from the competition before the home leg was played, as Vorwärts were denied visas for entry into the UK, and it was not financially viable for Linfield to play the match in a neutral country.
  6. ^ Derry City withdrew from the competition before the home leg was played, as the IFA ruled that their home ground was not up to standard.
  7. ^ a b c No clubs entered European competition this season as a result of the security situation in Northern Ireland. The three clubs that missed out were Glentoran (European Cup), Portadown (UEFA Cup) and Coleraine (Cup Winners' Cup).
  8. ^ Dinamo Tbilisi were later expelled from the tournament and suspended from UEFA tournaments for two years for allegedly attempting to bribe match officials. Linfield were reinstated.
  9. ^ No clubs entered the Champions League during these seasons as a result of restructuring by UEFA, with entry to the competition limited to the continent's top 24 countries. The league champions entered the UEFA Cup instead.
  10. ^ The Drita v Linfield match, originally scheduled to be played on 11 August 2020, could not be played due to two players from Drita testing positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and the whole team being put into quarantine by the Swiss authorities.[23][24] Linfield were subsequently awarded a technical 3–0 victory by UEFA according to the regulations related to COVID-19.[25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Laporte, Norman (2005) [2005]. The Other Germany: Perceptions and Influences in British-East German Relations, 1945–1990 (1st ed.). Wissner. pp. 91–106. ISBN 978-3-89639-485-9.
  2. ^ a b linfieldfc.com. "Jim Savoured Seven Trophy Success with Linfield". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Derry City FC – A Concise History". CityWeb, 2006. "CityWeb: Derry City Football Club Online : A Concise History". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  4. ^ ESPNsoccernet. "Football's last great taboo?". Archived from the original on 21 March 2005. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b rsssf.com. "RSSSF – Georgia". Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  6. ^ linfieldfc.com. "Roy McGivern looks ahead to IF Windsor game". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  7. ^ uefa.com. "Linfield in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  8. ^ uefa.com. "Glentoran in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  9. ^ uefa.com. "Crusaders in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  10. ^ uefa.com. "Coleraine in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  11. ^ uefa.com. "Glenavon in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  12. ^ uefa.com. "Portadown in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. ^ uefa.com. "Cliftonville in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. ^ uefa.com. "Ballymena United in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  15. ^ uefa.com. "Ards in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  16. ^ uefa.com. "Lisburn Distillery in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  17. ^ uefa.com. "Bangor in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  18. ^ uefa.com. "Larne in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  19. ^ uefa.com. "Derry City in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  20. ^ uefa.com. "Dungannon Swifts in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  21. ^ uefa.com. "Carrick Rangers in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  22. ^ uefa.com. "Newry City in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  23. ^ "Champions League: Linfield game off over Kosovan opponents' Covid-19 issues". BBC Sport. 11 August 2020.
  24. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Champions League preliminary round match not taking place due to COVID-19 positive tests". UEFA. 11 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Champions League: Linfield given bye through to first round after tie with Drita called off". BBC Sport. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  26. ^ "UEFA Appeals Body renders decision on KF Drita". UEFA. 12 August 2020.