FTLarne1–2Linfield◆FTCliftonville1–2Portadown◆FTBallymena2–1Crusaders◆FTBangor0–0Dungannon◆FTCarrick2–2Linfield◆FTGlentoran1–0Limavady◆FTLarne2–3Coleraine◆NEXT UPSAT 3PMCarrick v Limavady◆SAT 3PMCrusaders v Coleraine◆SAT 3PMDungannon v Cliftonville◆SAT 3PMGlentoran v Ballymena◆SAT 6PMBangor v Larne◆TUE 7.45PMLarne v Limavady◆FRI 7.45PMColeraine v Glentoran◆FRI 7.45PMLarne v Portadown◆SAT 3PMBallymena v Bangor◆SAT 3PMCliftonville v Carrick◆FTLarne1–2Linfield◆FTCliftonville1–2Portadown◆FTBallymena2–1Crusaders◆FTBangor0–0Dungannon◆FTCarrick2–2Linfield◆FTGlentoran1–0Limavady◆FTLarne2–3Coleraine◆NEXT UPSAT 3PMCarrick v Limavady◆SAT 3PMCrusaders v Coleraine◆SAT 3PMDungannon v Cliftonville◆SAT 3PMGlentoran v Ballymena◆SAT 6PMBangor v Larne◆TUE 7.45PMLarne v Limavady◆FRI 7.45PMColeraine v Glentoran◆FRI 7.45PMLarne v Portadown◆SAT 3PMBallymena v Bangor◆SAT 3PMCliftonville v Carrick◆
Four Irish League clubs in Europe this summer. Qualifying ran from 9 July to 27 August — how each tie ended is below.
UEFA country coefficient
Northern Ireland
#50▲1
rank · 6.63 pts
from #42 (8.33) last season
Every qualifying win earns coefficient points — the country's rank decides how many European places the league gets and how its clubs are seeded.
Larne's 2–0 in Gibraltar was worth 0.250, taking Northern Ireland to 6.625 on the live 5-year rolling ranking (22/23–26/27) and back up to 50th, a fortnight after dropping to 51st without losing a point.
Georgia are the country passed, and they stand still on 6.500: Iberia 1999 — the club that knocked Larne out, and the last of Georgia's four entrants — lost 4–0 to Jagiellonia in the Europa League play-off on the same night. Gibraltar hold 49th on 6.874, unmoved because Lincoln Red Imps were the ones Larne beat; Estonia are 48th on 7.041 with Flora eliminated and nobody left.
Larne have since gone out, beaten 3–2 on aggregate by Lincoln Red Imps after extra time at Inver Park on 27 August, so with Glentoran, Linfield and Coleraine already eliminated all four of Northern Ireland's entrants are done for 26/27. A defeat earns nothing, so 6.625 is where the country's qualifying campaign finishes — the rank can still move while other countries are playing.
Around Northern Ireland
48Estonia7.041
49Gibraltar6.874
50Northern Ireland6.625
51Georgia6.500
Larne v Lincoln Red Imps
Lincoln Red Imps · Gibraltar
Conference League
Play-off round
1st leg · away
Thu 20 Aug · 17:00
Gibraltar
2nd leg · home
Thu 27 Aug · 20:00
Inver Park
→ Winner reaches the Conference League league phase — the stage Larne became the first Irish League club to reach in 24/25
TWO UP, AND OUT: Larne led this tie 2–0 with eight minutes of normal time left at Inver Park and lost it. Gomez pulled one back on 82 and Toledano levelled the aggregate on 84; Gibson went off for a second yellow on 87, and Toledano settled it from the penalty spot on 120. Lincoln Red Imps win 3–2 on aggregate. Larne's European season ends at the Conference League play-off round, one tie short of the league phase they became the first Irish League club to reach in 24/25 — and with Glentoran, Linfield and Coleraine already gone, all four of Northern Ireland's entrants are now out.
GIBSON estimate
Lincoln Red Imps
41%
Draw
28%
Larne
31%
Larne v FC Iberia 1999
FC Iberia 1999 · Georgia
Europa League
Third qualifying round
1st leg · home
Tue 4 Aug · 20:00
Inver Park
2nd leg · away
Tue 11 Aug · 17:00
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
→ Winner advances to the UEL play-off round; the loser drops into the UECL play-off round
BEATEN IN EXTRA TIME: Larne lose 2-1 in Tbilisi, 1-2 on aggregate, after 120 minutes. Bedoshvili put Iberia ahead on 74, Simpson levelled two minutes later, and Sikharulashvili settled it on 102. Not the end of the European run — beaten Europa League Q3 sides drop into the Conference League play-off round.
Glentoran v RFS
RFS · Latvia
Conference League
First qualifying round
1st leg · home
Thu 9 Jul · 20:30
The Oval
2nd leg · away
Thu 16 Jul · 18:30
Riga
→ Winner faces Qarabağ or Vestri in Q2
ELIMINATED: Beaten 2-0 in Riga, 1-4 on aggregate. Ibsen Rossi's header at the Oval was as good as it got — the Glens' European summer is over at the first hurdle.
GIBSON estimate
Glentoran
26%
Draw
26%
RFS
48%
Linfield v Nõmme Kalju
Nõmme Kalju · Estonia
Conference League
First qualifying round
1st leg · away
Thu 9 Jul · 18:00
Tallinn
2nd leg · home
Thu 16 Jul · 20:45
Windsor Park
→ Winner faces Shelbourne in Q2 — an all-Ireland tie
ELIMINATED: 2-2 at Windsor, out 2-3 on aggregate — and it's the cruellest kind. Needing one more goal, the Blues were caught by a last-minute Kalju equaliser instead.
GIBSON estimate
Nõmme Kalju
35%
Draw
28%
Linfield
37%
Coleraine v HJK Helsinki
HJK Helsinki · Finland
Conference League
Second qualifying round
1st leg · away
Thu 23 Jul · 17:00
Helsinki
2nd leg · home
Thu 30 Jul · 19:45
The Showgrounds
→ Q2 entry as Irish Cup winners — a minimum €525,000 already banked
ELIMINATED: Beaten 0-3 at The Showgrounds, 0-8 on aggregate — HJK Helsinki proved a class above over the two legs. Coleraine's European run ends at the second qualifying round, with the Irish Cup prize money already banked regardless.
GIBSON estimate
HJK Helsinki
59%
Draw
24%
Coleraine
17%
Percentages shown are GIBSON's own estimates for context — not bookmaker prices, not a betting offer, and GIBSON has no link to any bookmaker. 18+. If gambling stops being fun, free support is available at begambleaware.org.
GIBSON is free and carries no ads. Season Ticket members vote on new features and see them first.
