A trio of JD Cymru Premier clubs return to competitive action this week in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League.
After making history last season by becoming the first Welsh domestic club to reach the League Phase of a major European competition, The New Saints will hope that this is the start of another memorable campaign on the continent.
Craig Harrison’s side are up against North Macedonian side KF Shkendija in the UEFA Champions League and are at home at Park Hall for the first leg on Tuesday night (KO 19:00 BST).
JD Cymru Premier clubs in Europe
It has been a busy summer of transfer activity in Oswestry after the Saints’ treble-winning season last term, with no fewer than eight new signings arriving. Among them is striker Ben Wilson, who has arrived from Airdrieonians for a club-record fee.
Friendlies have also been coming thick and fast for the JD Cymru Premier champions, with wins over PLAYER FC and Linfield coming alongside draws against Larne and Ayr United before a 1-0 defeat to Newtown last week.
TNS will be looking for revenge on Shkendija after a 5-4 aggregate defeat in their only previous meeting in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round seven years ago. The North Macedonians won 5-0 at home in the first leg before the Saints threatened a remarkable comeback in the second leg at Park Hall but came up just short.
Shkendija also met Haverfordwest County in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023/24, when the Bluebirds famously progressed on penalties at the Cardiff City Stadium after a 1-1 aggregate draw over two legs.
Former FC Schalke striker Besart Ibraimi captains Shkendija and is their key attacking threat at 38 years old. The frontman, who has 17 caps for North Macedonia, registered 15 goals and 13 assists in the league last season as his side claimed the top-flight title for the fifth time in their history.
Haverfordwest County are also in action on Tuesday night as they travel to Malta for their first leg against Floriana in the UEFA Conference League (KO 18:30 BST).
Tony Pennock’s side are competing in Europe for the second time in three seasons after beating Caernarfon Town in May’s play-off final and they will be hoping to at least replicate their memorable 2023 run to the second qualifying round.
The Bluebirds had the best defence in the JD Cymru Premier last season but have lost key figures in their backline this summer – Zac Jones, Jacob Owen, Luke Tabone and Lee Jenkins have all departed. Former Barry Town United goalkeeper Luc Rees is the only new arrival so far.
JD Cymru Leagues transfer tracker – 2025/26
County began pre-season with wins over Ynysygerwn, Penrhyncoch and Baglan Dragons at Ogi Bridge Meadow before a 4-0 defeat away at reigning Northern Irish champions Linfield, which Pennock described as “the game we needed” ahead of the European campaign.
Record 26-time champions of the Maltese Premier League, but not since 2020, Floriana have been regulars in European football since the 1960s, coming up against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Porto.
Their only previous tie against Welsh opposition came in 1999 when they triumphed 4-3 on aggregate against Aberystwyth Town in the Intertoto Cup first round.
Floriana have lost last season’s top scorer Franklin Sasere to league rivals Birkirkara this summer, but Carlo Zammit Lonardelli, Dunstan Vella, Jake Grech were all included in the Malta squad for their FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
Penybont will also return to European action for the second time in three years when they travel to Lithuania to face Kauno Zalgiris in the first leg in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night (KO 17:00 BST).
Rhys Griffiths’ side led the way in the JD Cymru Premier until New Year’s Eve last season before ultimately finishing second and will now aim to record a first win in Europe after a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Andorran side FC Santa Coloma in 2023.
Bont have been busy bolstering their squad over the summer, with Nathan Wood sealing a permanent return from Newport County along with the other key arrivals of Noah Daley and Bridgend native Ash Baker.
A 1-1 draw against Cardiff Draconians kicked off their pre-season preparations, with wins over Afan Lido, Porthcawl Town, Airdrieonians and Merthyr Town following alongside a defeat to Caerau Ely.
After a third-place finish in the 2024 season, Kauno Zalgiris are currently top of the Lithuanian A Lyga and chasing their first top-flight title. Their six previous European ties have yielded just one win, against Europa FC of Gibraltar in the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round 2021.
They would meet The New Saints in the next round but Anthony Limbrick’s side run out 10-1 winners on aggregate – the biggest ever two-legged victory for a JD Cymru Premier side in Europe.
20-year-old striker Romualdas Jansonas is currently joint top scorer in the A Lyga and made his senior Lithuania debut last year. Among the four other Lithuania internationals in the squad is Fedor Cernych, who earned his 100th cap in June.
