The first qualifying round of the 2024-25 Champions League campaign kicks off on Tuesday with UE Santa Coloma hosting KF Ballkani in the first leg.
The winner of this first qualifying round will face Denmark’s FC Midtjylland in the second qualifying round later this month.
UE Santa Coloma are set to make history with their first Champions League appearance after they were crowned Andorran champions for the first time last season.
The Esquirols finished three points clear of runners-up Inter Escaldes, winning 20, drawing six, and losing just one of their 27 league matches.
Ramon Caldere’s men also completed the domestic double for the first time in their history, defeating Pas de la Casa 1-0 in the Copa Constitucio final back in May.
Although the Andorran side have not played competitively since the cup final, they did face England Championship side, QPR, in a warm-up match on Friday, losing 2-0.
UE Santa Coloma will be hoping for a better result when they face Ballkani in what will be their ninth appearance in European competition, having participated in the Europa League qualifiers seven times and the Europa Conference League qualifiers once.
However, they have never progressed past the first qualifying round in any of their previous eight European outings, losing every game while scoring just four goals and conceding a hefty 46.
Ballkani continued their dominance of the Kosovan first division last season, winning a third consecutive Superliga e Kosoves title, while also securing the Kupa e Kosoves to achieve the club’s first-ever domestic double.
Ballkani will be participating in Champions League qualifying for the third time, having been eliminated in the first round on both previous occasions.
