BALA Town and Caernarfon Town will soon find out who they will face in the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round.

The 2023/24 season may only just have concluded, but clubs’ preparations for 2024/25 are already well under way – particular those involved in European competition. 

The first qualifying round draws take place later this month.

After lifting the JD Cymru Premier title for the third consecutive season in 2023/24, The New Saints will once again play in the UEFA Champions League and enter in the first qualifying round.

Second-place side and JD Welsh Cup winners Connah’s Quay Nomads will compete in the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round alongside third-place finishers Bala Town and play-off winners Caernarfon Town. The Cofis are preparing for their first ever European campaign.

When are the draws? 

Clubs will also find out their potential second qualifying round opponents the following day. 

All draws will be streamed on UEFA.com.

How do the draws work? 

Before the draws, clubs are divided into groups to narrow down their potential opponents. 

Each group includes a set of seeded teams and a set of unseeded teams. Seeding is based on the 2024 UEFA club coefficients.

The New Saints will be seeded in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw. If they win their tie, they will progress to the second qualifying round. If they lose their tie, they will move to the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.

Connah’s Quay Nomads will be seeded in the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round draw, while Bala Town and Caernarfon Town will be unseeded. If they win their tie, they will progress to the second qualifying round. If they lose their tie, they will be eliminated from European competition.

Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other and the first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.

When will the games be played? 

The first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round will be played on Tuesday 9 July or Wednesday 10 July. The second leg will be played on Tuesday 16 July or Wednesday 17 July.

The first leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round will be played on Thursday 11 July. The second leg will be played on Thursday 18 July.

The second qualifying round of both competitions will commence the following week, across Tuesday 23 July to Thursday 25 July.