UEFA on Tuesday conducted the first qualifying round draws for its three club competitions the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League at its headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draws have produced significant Gambian interest, with several Scorpions players set to feature in European competition during the opening qualifying rounds.
UEFA Champions League
Among the Gambian representatives in the Champions League qualifiers is Nfansu Njie, who is set to make his second UEFA appearance when Hungarian champions ETO FC Győr face Icelandic side Vikingur Reykjavik.
The Gambian international enjoyed a productive campaign, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 28 appearances for the Hungarian champions.
Champions League First Qualifying Round Draw
- Floriana (Malta) vs Shamrock Rovers (Ireland)
- FC Ararat-Armenia (Armenia) vs Riga FC (Latvia)
- Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland) vs ETO FC Győr (Hungary)
The first legs will be played on 7-8 July, with the return fixtures scheduled for 14-15 July.
UEFA Europa League
Three Gambian players are set to feature in the Europa League first qualifying round: Suso Bamba, Abdoulie Sanyang, and Romania-based Mouhamadou Drammeh.
Bamba will be making his debut in the competition after playing a crucial role in NK Aluminij’s historic Slovenian Cup triumph. The Gambian striker scored in both the semi-final and final as Aluminij secured their first-ever Slovenian Football Cup title after previously finishing runners-up twice.
Meanwhile, Drammeh’s FC Universitatea Cluj return to European football for the second consecutive season. The Cluj-Napoca-based side were eliminated 2-1 on aggregate by Ararat-Armenia in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round last year. The Paris-born Gambian enjoyed an impressive debut season, making 32 appearances and scoring five goals for “The White and Blacks.”
Europa League First Qualifying Round Draw
- Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) vs Universitatea Cluj (Romania)
- Hajduk Split (Croatia) vs Žilina (Slovakia)
- Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) vs NK Aluminij (Slovenia)
The first legs are scheduled for 9 July, with the return matches taking place on 16 July.
UEFA Conference League
The UEFA Conference League features the largest contingent of Gambian players in the opening qualifying round, with RFS, FCI Levadia Tallinn, and KF Shkëndija all entering the competition as seeded teams.
Goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye and KF Shkëndija enjoyed a memorable European campaign in a previous edition of the competition, reaching the group stage. Gaye featured in eight matches and kept two clean sheets during that run.
Conference League First Qualifying Round Draw
- Europa FC (Gibraltar) vs KF Shkëndija (North Macedonia)
- Caernarfon Town FC (Wales) vs FCI Levadia Tallinn (Estonia)
- FC Hegelmann (Lithuania) vs Paide Linnameeskond (Estonia)
- Glentoran FC (Northern Ireland) vs RFS (Latvia)
UEFA on Wednesday conducted the draw for the second qualifying rounds of the Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
UEFA Champions League
Swedish side Mjällby AIF will face the winner of the tie between Lincoln Red Imps and their first-round opponents in the second qualifying round.
Gambian midfielder Mahmud Bajo and Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) have been drawn against the winner of the clash between Tre Fiori of San Marino and Northern Irish side Larne.
Meanwhile, Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava will take on the winner of the first-round encounter between Flora Tallinn of Estonia and Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia.
The first legs of the second qualifying round are scheduled for 21-22 July, with the return fixtures set for 28-29 July.
UEFA Europa League
New Gambian signing Baboucarr Faal could make his European debut for Czech giants Viktoria Plzeň, who have been drawn against Norwegian side Tromsø in the second qualifying round.
The first leg is scheduled for 23 July, with the return leg taking place on 30 July.
UEFA Conference League
Elsewhere, clubs featuring Gambian interest such as DAC 1904, Austria Wien, and CFR Cluj have also learned their potential paths, having been drawn to face the winners emerging from Groups 1, 8 and 17 respectively in the Conference League qualifying draw.
With Gambian players represented across all three UEFA club competitions, the upcoming qualifying rounds promise another exciting chapter for Gambian footballers competing on the European stage.
