Europa Conference League: Tottenham, Aberdeen, Hibs, TNS, Larne & Linfield Await Play-Off Draw

The Europa Conference League matches will be played on Thursday nights alongside the Europa League

Europa Conference League: Tottenham, Aberdeen, Hibs, TNS, Larne & Linfield await play-off draw

Tottenham are one of six British teams awaiting the draw for the inaugural Europa Conference League play-offs.

The north London club reached the final qualifying round after finishing seventh in the Premier League.

They will be joined in the draw by Aberdeen, Hibernian, The New Saints, Larne and Linfield – who all still need to progress past the third qualifying round first.

It takes place on Monday at 12:30 BST.

The play-off round, which will decide who goes into the group stage, will be played over two legs on 19 and 26 August.

What is it?
For the first time in more than 20 years, there will be three European men’s football club competitions, after the Europa Conference League was announced in December 2018 as part of a reshuffle from Uefa.

The Champions League is unaffected by the introduction of the new competition, but the Europa League group stage will be reduced from 48 to 32 teams, with an extra play-off round between the group stage and last 16.

The new competition will therefore feature teams who previously would have entered the Europa League at the preliminary, first and second qualifying rounds.

Matches will be played on Thursdays, alongside the Europa League, and the final will be held in Tirana, Albania on 25 May. The winner will qualify for the following season’s Europa League, providing they haven’t qualified for the Champions League through their domestic competition.

Who else is in it?
The new third-tier of European competition is aimed at giving smaller countries more group-stage football, with at least 34 countries having representation, compared with 26 at the moment.

Therefore, only four clubs in the new competition will come from the top leagues, with Union Berlin, AS Roma and Rennes joining Spurs in the final qualifying round.

As Spurs and Roma are seeded for the play-off draw, they will not be able to face each other, meaning no quick return for new Roma boss Jose Mourinho to his former club.

Scottish sides Celtic and St Johnstone could feature, should they lose their upcoming Europa League qualifying games.

No side will automatically qualify for the group stage, which will be drawn on 27 August and runs from September to December.

Other teams include Bohemians, Shamrock and Dundalk from the Republic of Ireland, plus Anderlecht and FC Basel, who all have to overcome third qualifying round ties first.

Teams progressing from the third qualifying round will join those teams eliminated in the Europa League third qualifying round in the draw.

What are the third qualifying round ties? (played on 5 August and 12 August)
Champions path

Maccabi Haifa (ISR) v HB Torshavn (FRO)

Linfield (NIR) v Fola Esch (LUX)

Shamrock Rovers (IRL) v Teuta (ALB)

Riga FC (LVA) v Hibernians (MLT)

Prishtina (KOS) v Bodo/Glimt (NOR)

Main path

Dinamo Batumi (GEO) v Sivasspor (TUR)

KuPS Kuopio (FIN) v Astana (KAZ)

Sochi (RUS) v Partizan (SRB)

Sląsk Wrocław (POL) v Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)

Santa Clara (POR) v Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN)

Ujpest (HUN) v Basel (SUI)

Kolos Kovalivka (UKR) v Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)

Elfsborg (SWE) v Velez (BIH)

Paços de Ferreira (POR) v Larne (NIR)

FC Luzern (SUI) v Feyenoord (NED)

RFS (LVA) v Gent (BEL)

Hibernian (SCO) v Rijeka (CRO)

Breidablik (ISL) v Aberdeen (SCO)

Trabzonspor (TUR) v Molde (NOR)

Bohemians (IRL) v PAOK (GRE)

The New Saints (WAL) v Viktoria Plzen (CZE)

Rakow Czestochowa (POL) v Rubin (RUS)

Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL) v Copenhagen (DEN)

Cukaricki (SRB) v Hammarby (SWE)

Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) v Zilina (SVK)

CSKA-Sofia (BUL) v Osijek (CRO)

Vojvodina (SRB) v LASK (AUT)

Limassol (CYP) v Qarabag (AZE)

Spartak Trnava (SVK) v Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

Rosenborg (NOR) v Domzale (SVN)

Laç (ALB) v Anderlecht (BEL)

Vitesse (NED) v Dundalk (IRL)

Edet Esah

A content writer - blogger and sports analyst