Northern Irish football clubs in European competitions

Northern Irish football clubs have participated in European football competitions since 1957, when in the 1957–58 season, Glenavon took part in the European Cup – the first Northern Irish club to do so. In total, 16 different clubs have represented Northern Ireland in European competition.

All statistics and records are accurate as of 25 June 2015.

History

As of the 2015–16 season, the NIFL Premiership champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The runners-up, the Europa League play-off winners and the Irish Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League. If, however, the cup winners have already qualified for Europe by finishing first or second in the league, the Europa League place goes to the league's third-placed club.

Only the league champions have ever represented Northern Ireland in the European Cup/Champions League. Glenavon were the first team ever to represent Northern Ireland in any of the four competitions, when in the first round of the 1957–58 European Cup they played out a 0–0 draw against Danish side AGF in Aarhus, Denmark on 11 September 1957. They played the home leg two weeks later, losing 3–0. In the 1959–60 season, Linfield became the first Northern Irish club to win a match in the competition, in what was their first ever European Cup match. They defeated Swedish side Göteborg 2–1 at Windsor Park on 9 September 1959, however two weeks later they lost the away leg 6–1 which meant that they lost the tie 7–3 on aggregate. Linfield hold the record of the most participations in the European Cup/Champions League by any Northern Irish club to date, having appeared in 27 different seasons of the competition up to and including 2012–13.

Participation in the secondary competitions began with Glentoran in the 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Spanish side Real Zaragoza. A 2–0 defeat in the first leg at the Oval was followed by a 6–2 defeat away from home in the second leg. They lost the tie 8–2 on aggregate. Glentoran hold the record of the most participations in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League by any Northern Irish club to date, having appeared in 21 different seasons of the competition. They also hold the record of the most appearances by a Northern Irish club in European competitions overall, having appeared in 42 different seasons up to and including 2013–14 – one season more than Linfield who have made 41 appearances.

In 1960, Glenavon were drawn to face East German side Wismut in the first round of the 1960–61 European Cup. However, they were forced to withdraw when they were refused visas for East Germany and Wismut were refused visas for the UK. UEFA had allowed the matches to take place in neutral countries but that was not financially viable for Glenavon, so they were left with no option but to withdraw.^[1] A similar issue arose the following season when in the first round of the 1961–62 European Cup, Linfield were drawn to face another East German team, Vorwärts. The away leg was played, which Linfield lost 3–0. However, Vorwärts were denied visas for the UK to play the second leg, and similarly to Glenavon the previous season, travelling to play the game in a neutral country was not financially viable for Linfield so they were also forced to withdraw from the competition.^[2]

In 1965, Derry City became the first Northern Irish club to win a two-legged European tie. In the 1965–66 European Cup, the club's last ever appearance in European competition as a Northern Irish club, they defeated Lyn 8–6 on aggregate in a high-scoring tie. In the second round, they faced Anderlecht from Belgium but suffered a huge 9–0 loss in the away leg and later withdrew from the competition before the second leg was played, when the Irish Football Association ruled that their home ground was not up to standard.^[3] In 1972, the club withdrew from senior Northern Irish football and after 13 years of playing amateur football in lower leagues, they joined the League of Ireland in the Irish Republic in 1985.^[4]

In 1969, both Coleraine and Glentoran entered the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the first time more than one Northern Irish club had ever been entered into the same European competition. Glentoran lost in the first round, but Coleraine impressively got through to the second round. The two most notable successes in Europe are Linfield reaching the quarter-finals of the 1966–67 European Cup and Glentoran reaching the quarter-finals of the 1973–74 European Cup Winners' Cup. Since the restructuring of the competitions based around the UEFA coefficient system however, the league's relatively low ranking has meant that the clubs have entered in the early qualifying rounds of either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Cup/Europa League. The third qualifying round is the furthest any club has progressed in either competition in their current formats. This was achieved by Cliftonville in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League.

In 1976, Irish League B Division club Carrick Rangers won the Irish Cup by defeating strong favourites Linfield 2–1 in the final. This qualified them to take part in European competition for the first, and to date only time – in the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup. They defeated Aris from Luxembourg 4–3 on aggregate in the first round, before going out 9–3 on aggregate to English side Southampton in the second round. To date, this is the only occasion that a club from outside the top division of football in Northern Ireland has represented the country in European competition.

The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League saw Linfield drawn to face Dynamo Tbilisi of Georgia in the preliminary round. After losing 3–2 on aggregate, they were reinstated when their opponents were expelled from the competition for allegedly attempting to bribe match officials.^[5] Linfield then went on to face Copenhagen in the first round proper. They won the first leg 3–0, but lost the second leg 4–0 after extra time. This proved costly, as victory would have meant a financially lucrative tie against eventual champions Milan in the next round.^[6] In July 2013, Linfield became the first Northern Irish club to win both the home leg and the away leg of a European tie. In the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round they were drawn to face ÍF Fuglafjørður from the Faroe Islands. They won the away leg 2–0 and then won the home leg 3–0 at Windsor Park to complete a comfortable 5–0 aggregate victory. In the second qualifying round they were drawn to face Skoda Xanthi of Greece and won the first leg 1–0 away from home despite being massive underdogs for the tie. This made it three consecutive victories in Europe for the club, without conceding a goal in the process – another first for a Northern Irish club. However, in the second leg at home they went down 2–1 after extra time, which eliminated them on the away goals rule.

Statistics

European Cup/UEFA Champions League First game played: AGF 0–0 Glenavon, 11 September 1957 (1957–58 European Cup first round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 27 – Linfield Most games played: 63 - Linfield Most wins: 6 – Linfield Most draws: 22 – Linfield Most defeats: 35 – Linfield

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Europa League First match played: Glentoran 0–2 Real Zaragoza, 26 September 1962 (1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 22 – Glentoran Most games played: 46 - Glentoran Most wins: 9 – Linfield Most draws: 9 – Glentoran Most defeats: 33 – Glentoran

Cup Winners' Cup First match played: Glenavon 1–4 Leicester City, 13 September 1961 (1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 9 – Glentoran Most games played: 22 - Glentoran Most wins: 3 – Glentoran Most draws: 7 – Glentoran Most defeats: 12 – Glentoran

Intertoto Cup First match played: Cliftonville 0–3 Standard Liege, 22 June 1996 (1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage) Most competitions appeared in: 3 – Cliftonville Most games played: 10 - Cliftonville Most wins: 2 – Newry Town Most draws: 2 – Cliftonville Most defeats: 7 – Cliftonville

Overall

• First match played: AGF 0–0 Glenavon, 11 September 1957 (1957–58 European Cup first round, first leg)
• Most competitions appeared in: 43, joint record: Glentoran and Linfield
• Most games played: 101 – Linfield
• Most wins: 17 – Linfield
• Most draws: 29 – Linfield
• Most defeats: 63 – Glentoran
• Biggest winning margin (match): 5 goals, joint record:
  • Linfield 6–1 Aris (1966–67 European Cup first round)
  • Coleraine 5–0 Sant Julià (2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup first round)
• Biggest winning margin (aggregate): 5 goals, joint record:
  • Linfield 9–4 Aris (1966–67 European Cup first round)
  • Coleraine 7–2 Sant Julià (2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup first round)
  • Linfield 5–0 ÍF Fuglafjørður (2013–14 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round)
• Heaviest defeat (match): 11 goals – Dinamo Bucharest 11–0 Crusaders (1973–74 European Cup first round)
• Heaviest defeat (aggregate): 13 goals, joint record:
  • Ards 1–14 PSV Eindhoven (1974–75 European Cup Winners' Cup first round)
  • Glentoran 1–14 Ajax (1975–76 UEFA Cup first round)

UEFA coefficient and ranking

For the 2015–16 UEFA competitions, the associations will be allocated places according to their 2014 UEFA country coefficients, which will take into account their performance in European competitions from 2009–10 to 2013–14. In the 2014 rankings used to allocate berths for the 2015–16 European competitions, Northern Ireland's coefficient points total will be 3.625. After earning a score of 0.875 during the 2013–14 European campaign, Northern Ireland will remain as the 47th best association in Europe out of 54 for the second consecutive season.

• 45 Malta 4.833
• 46 Liechtenstein 4.500
• 47 Northern Ireland 3.625
• 48 Wales 3.000
• 49 Armenia 2.875
  • Full list

Appearances in UEFA competitions

Club	UEFA Champions League						UEFA Europa League (including Inter-Cities Fairs Cup)						UEFA Cup Winners' Cup						UEFA Intertoto Cup						Total					First Appearance	Last Appearance
	Appearances	P	W	D	L		Appearances	P	W	D	L		Appearances	P	W	D	L		Appearances	P	W	D	L		Appearances	P	W	D	L
Linfield[7]	27	63	6	22	35		13	32	9	7	16		3	6	2	0	4		0	0	0	0	0		43	101	17	29	55	1959–60 European Cup	2015–16 UEFA Europa League
Glentoran[8]	12	28	3	7	18		22	46	4	9	33		9	22	3	7	12		0	0	0	0	0		43	96	10	23	63	1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	2015–16 UEFA Europa League
Crusaders[9]	4	10	1	2	7		8	18	3	3	12		3	6	0	2	4		0	0	0	0	0		15	30	3	5	22	1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup	2015–16 UEFA Champions League
Portadown[10]	3	6	0	1	5		11	28	3	7	18		1	2	1	0	1		0	0	0	0	0		15	36	4	8	24	1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup	2012–13 UEFA Europa League
Cliftonville[11]	3	6	0	1	5		4	10	2	2	6		1	2	0	0	2		3	10	1	2	7		11	28	3	5	20	1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup	2014–15 UEFA Champions League
Coleraine[12]	1	2	0	0	2		9	22	3	4	15		4	8	0	1	7		1	4	1	1	2		15	36	4	6	26	1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup	2003–04 UEFA Cup
Glenavon[13]	1[note 1][1]	2	0	1	1		7	14	1	2	11		5	10	1	3	6		1	2	0	1	1		14	28	2	7	19	1957–58 European Cup	2015–16 UEFA Europa League
Ards[14]	1	2	0	0	2		1	2	1	0	1		2	4	0	1	3		1	4	0	0	4		5	12	1	1	10	1958–59 European Cup	1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup
Lisburn Distillery[15]	1	2	0	1	1		1	2	0	0	2		1	2	0	0	2		2	4	0	0	4		5	10	0	1	9	1963–64 European Cup	2009–10 UEFA Europa League
Derry City[16][note 2]	1	3	1	0	2		0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0	0	2		0	0	0	0	0		2	5	1	0	4	1964–65 European Cup Winners' Cup	1965–66 European Cup
Ballymena United[17]	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	1	0	1		4	8	0	0	8		1	2	0	1	1		6	12	1	1	10	1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup	2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup
Bangor[18]	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0	0	2		2	4	0	1	3		0	0	0	0	0		3	6	0	1	5	1991–92 UEFA Cup	1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Dungannon Swifts[19]	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	1	0	1		0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0	1	1		2	4	1	1	2	2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup	2007–08 UEFA Cup
Carrick Rangers[20]	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0		1	4	1	0	3		0	0	0	0	0		1	4	1	0	3	1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup	1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup
Omagh Town[note 3]	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0		2	4	0	1	3		2	4	0	1	3	1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup	2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup
Newry Town[21][note 4]	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0		1	4	2	0	2		1	4	2	0	2	1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup	1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup

Active competitions

European Cup/Champions League Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Agg European Cup 1957–58 Glenavon PR AGF 0–3 0–0 0–3 1958–59 Ards PR Stade Reims 1–4 2–6 3–10 1959–60 Linfield PR Göteborg 2–1 1–6 3–7 1960–61 Glenavon PR Wismut Karl Marx Stadt w/o N/A[note 1][1] 1961–62 Linfield PR Vorwärts Berlin w/o 0–3 0–3[note 5][2] 1962–63 Linfield 1R Esbjerg 1–2 0–0 1–2 1963–64 Distillery PR Benfica 3–3 0–5 3–8 1964–65 Glentoran PR Panathinaikos 2–3 2–2 4–5 1965–66 Derry City PR Lyn 5–1 3–5 8–6 1R Anderlecht w/o 0–9 0–9[note 6][3] 1966–67 Linfield 1R Aris 6–1 3–3 9–4 2R Vålerengen 1–1 4–1 5–2 QF CSKA Sofia 2–2 0–1 2–3 1967–68 Glentoran 1R Benfica 1–1 0–0 1–1(a) 1968–69 Glentoran 1R Anderlecht 2–2 0–3 2–5 1969–70 Linfield 1R Red Star Belgrade 2–4 0–8 2–12 1970–71 Glentoran 1R Waterford 1–3 0–1 1–4 1971–72 Linfield 1R Standard Liège 2–3 0–2 2–5 1972–73 None entered[note 7] 1973–74 Crusaders 1R Dinamo Bucureşti 0–1 0–11 0–12 1974–75 Coleraine 1R Feyenoord 1–4 0–7 1–11 1975–76 Linfield 1R PSV Eindhoven 1–2 0–8 1–10 1976–77 Crusaders 1R Liverpool 0–5 0–2 0–7 1977–78 Glentoran 1R Valur 2–0 0–1 2–1 2R Juventus 0–1 0–5 0–6 1978–79 Linfield 1R Lillestrøm 0–0 0–1 0–1 1979–80 Linfield PR Dundalk 0–2 1–1 1–3 1980–81 Linfield 1R Nantes 0–1 0–2 0–3 1981–82 Glentoran 1R Progrès Niederkorn 4–0 1–1 5–1 2R CSKA Sofia 2–1 0–2 2–3 1982–83 Linfield 1R 17 Nëntori 2–1 0–1 2–2(a) 1983–84 Linfield 1R Benfica 2–3 0–3 2–6 1984–85 Linfield 1R Shamrock Rovers 0–0 1–1 1–1(a) 2R Panathinaikos 3–3 1–2 4–5 1985–86 Linfield 1R Servette 2–2 1–2 3–4 1986–87 Linfield 1R Rosenborg 1–1 0–1 1–2 1987–88 Linfield 1R Lillestrøm 2–4 1–1 3–5 1988–89 Glentoran 1R Spartak Moscow 1–1 0–2 1–3 1989–90 Linfield 1R Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1–2 0–1 1–3 1990–91 Portadown 1R Porto 1–8 0–5 1–13 1991–92 Portadown 1R Red Star Belgrade 0–4 0–4 0–8 UEFA Champions League 1992–93 Glentoran 1R Marseille 0–5 0–3 0–8 1993–94 Linfield PR Dinamo Tbilisi 1–1 1–2 2–3[note 8][5] 1R Copenhagen 3–0 0–4 3–4 1994–95 None entered[note 9] 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 Crusaders 1QR Dinamo Tbilisi 1–3 1–5 2–8 1998–99 Cliftonville 1QR Košice 1–5 0–8 1–13 1999–00 Glentoran 1QR Litex Lovech 0–2 0–3 0–5 2000–01 Linfield 1QR Haka 2–1 0–1 2–2(a) 2001–02 Linfield 1QR Torpedo Kutaisi 0–0 0–1 0–1 2002–03 Portadown 1QR Belshyna 0–0 2–3 2–3 2003–04 Glentoran 1QR HJK 0–0 0–1 0–1 2004–05 Linfield 1QR HJK 0–1 0–1 0–2 2005–06 Glentoran 1QR Shelbourne 1–2 1–4 2–6 2006–07 Linfield 1QR Gorica 1–3 2–2 3–5 2007–08 Linfield 1QR Elfsborg 0–0 0–1 0–1 2008–09 Linfield 1QR Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 1–1 1–3 2009–10 Glentoran 2QR Maccabi Haifa 0–4 0–6 0–10 2010–11 Linfield 2QR Rosenborg 0–0 0–2 0–2 2011–12 Linfield 2QR BATE Borisov 1–1 0–2 1–3 2012–13 Linfield 1QR B36 Tórshavn 0–0 0–0 0–0 (4–3 p) 2QR AEL Limassol 0–0 0–3 0–3 2013–14 Cliftonville 2QR Celtic 0–3 0–2 0–5 2014–15 Cliftonville 2QR Debrecen 0–0 0–2 0–2 2015–16 Crusaders 1QR Levadia Tallinn 0–0 1–1 1–1(a) 2QR Skënderbeu Korçë 3–2 1–4 4–6 PR = Preliminary round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; 1QR/2QR = First/Second qualifying round; QF = Quarter-finals

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup/Europa League Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Agg Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1962–63 Glentoran 1R Real Zaragoza 0–2 2–6 2–8 1963–64 Glentoran 1R Partick Thistle 1–4 0–3 1–7 1965–66 Glentoran 1R Royal Antwerp 3–3 0–1 3–4 1967–68 Linfield 1R Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0 1–5 2–5 1968–69 Linfield 1R Vitória de Setúbal 1–3 0–3 1–6 1969–70 Glentoran 1R Arsenal 1–0 0–3 1–3 Coleraine 1R Jeunesse Esch 4–0 2–3 6–3 2R Anderlecht 3–7 1–6 4–13 1970–71 Coleraine 1R Kilmarnock 1–1 3–2 4–3 2R Sparta Rotterdam 1–2 0–2 1–4 UEFA Cup 1971–72 Glentoran 1R Eintracht Braunschweig 0–1 1–6 1–7 1972–73 None entered[note 7] 1973–74 Ards 1R Standard Liège 3–2 1–6 4–8 1974–75 Portadown 1R Valur 2–1 0–0 2–1 2R Partizan 1–1 0–5 1–6 1975–76 Glentoran 1R Ajax 1–6 0–8 1–14 1976–77 Glentoran 1R Basel 3–2 0–3 3–5 1977–78 Glenavon 1R PSV Eindhoven 2–6 0–5 2–11 1978–79 Glentoran 1R IBV 1–1 0–0 1–1(a) 1979–80 Glenavon 1R Standard Liège 0–1 0–1 0–2 1980–81 Ballymena United 1R Vorwärts Frankfurt 2–1 0–3 2–4 1981–82 Linfield 1R Beveren 0–3 0–5 0–8 1982–83 Glentoran 1R Baník Ostrava 1–3 0–1 1–4 1983–84 Coleraine 1R Sparta Rotterdam 1–1 0–4 1–5 1984–85 Glentoran 1R Standard Liège 1–1 0–2 1–3 1985–86 Coleraine 1R Lokomotive Leipzig 1–1 0–5 1–6 1986–87 Coleraine 1R Stahl Brandenburg 1–1 0–1 1–2 1987–88 Coleraine 1R Dundee United 0–1 1–3 1–4 1988–89 Linfield 1R TPS Turku 1–1 0–0 1–1(a) 1989–90 Glentoran 1R Dundee United 1–3 0–2 1–5 1990–91 Glenavon 1R Bordeaux 0–0 0–2 0–2 1991–92 Bangor 1R Sigma Olomouc 0–3 0–3 0–6 1992–93 Portadown 1R Standard Liège 0–0 0–5 0–5 1993–94 Crusaders 1R Servette 0–0 0–4 0–4 1994–95 Portadown PR Slovan Bratislava 0–2 0–3 0–5 Linfield PR FH 3–1 0–1 3–2 1R Odense 1–1 0–5 1–6 1995–96 Crusaders PR Silkeborg 1–2 0–4 1–6 Glenavon PR FH 0–0 1–0 1–0 1R Werder Bremen 0–2 0–5 0–7 1996–97 Crusaders PR Zalgiris Vilnius 2–1 0–2 2–3 Portadown PR Vojvodina 0–1 1–4 1–5 1997–98 Coleraine 1QR Grasshoppers 1–7 0–3 1–10 1998–99 Linfield 1QR Omonia 5–3 1–5 6–8 1999–00 Linfield QR Lokomotivi Tbilisi 1–1 0–1 1–2 Portadown QR CSKA Sofia 0–3 0–5 0–8 2000–01 Coleraine QR Örgryte 1–2 0–1 1–3 Glentoran QR Lillestrøm 0–3 0–1 0–4 2001–02 Glenavon QR Kilmarnock 0–1 0–1 0–2 Glentoran QR Midtjylland 0–4 1–1 1–5 2002–03 Glentoran QR Wisła Kraków 0–2 0–4 0–6 Linfield QR Stabæk 1–1 0–4 1–5 2003–04 Coleraine QR União de Leiria 2–1 0–5 2–6 Portadown QR Malmö 0–2 0–4 0–6 2004–05 Portadown 1QR Žalgiris Vilnius 2–2 0–2 2–4 Glentoran 1QR Allianssi 2–2 2–1 4–3 2QR Elfsborg 0–1 1–2 1–3 2005–06 Portadown 1QR Viking 1–2 0–1 1–3 Linfield 1QR Ventspils 1–0 1–2 2–2(a) 2QR Halmstad 2–4 1–1 3–5 2006–07 Glentoran 1QR Brann 0–1 0–1 0–2 Portadown 1QR Kaunas 1–3 0–1 1–4 2007–08 Dungannon Swifts 1QR Sūduva 1–0 0–4 1–4 Glentoran 1QR AIK 0–5 0–4 0–9 2008–09 Cliftonville 1QR Copenhagen 0–4 0–7 0–11 Glentoran 1QR Liepājas Metalurgs 1–1 0–2 1–3 UEFA Europa League 2009–10 Linfield 1QR Randers 0–3 0–4 0–7 Lisburn Distillery 1QR Zestaponi 1–5 0–6 1–11 Crusaders 2QR Rabotnički 1–1 2–4 3–5 2010–11 Glentoran 1QR KR Reykjavík 2–2 0–3 2–5 Portadown 1QR Skonto 1–1 1–0 2–1 2QR Qarabağ 1–2 1–1 2–3 Cliftonville 2QR Cibalia 1–0 0–0 1–0 3QR CSKA Sofia 1–2 0–3 1–5 2011–12 Cliftonville 1QR The New Saints 0–1 1–1 1–2 Glentoran 1QR Renova 2–1 1–2 3–3 (3–2 p) 2QR Vorskla Poltava 0–2 0–3 0–5 Crusaders 2QR Fulham 1–3 0–4 1–7 2012–13 Cliftonville 1QR Kalmar 1–0 0–4 1–4 Crusaders 1QR Rosenborg 0–3 0–1 0–4 Portadown 1QR Shkëndija 2–1 0–0 2–1 2QR Slaven Belupo 2–4 0–6 2–10 2013–14 Crusaders 1QR Rosenborg 1–2 2–7 3–9 Glentoran 1QR KR Reykjavík 0–3 0–0 0–3 Linfield 1QR ÍF Fuglafjørður 3–0 2–0 5–0 2QR Skoda Xanthi 1–2 1–0 2–2(a) 2014–15 Glenavon 1QR FH 2–3 0–3 2–6 Crusaders 1QR Ekranas 3–1 2–1 5–2 2QR Brommapojkarna 1–1 0–4 1–5 Linfield 1QR B36 Tórshavn 1–1 2–1 3–2 2QR AIK 1–0 0–2 1–2 2015–16 Glenavon 1QR Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–2 0–3 1–5 Glentoran 1QR MŠK Žilina 1–4 0–3 1–7 Linfield 1QR NSÍ Runavík 2–0 3–4 5–4 2QR Spartak Trnava 1–3 1–2 2–5 2016–17 Linfield 1QR Cork City 0–1 Glenavon 1QR KR Reykjavík 1–2 Cliftonville 1QR FC Differdange 03 1–1 PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; 1QR/2QR/3QR = First/Second/Third qualifying round

Defunct competitions

Cup Winners' Cup Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Agg European Cup Winners' Cup 1961–62 Glenavon PR Leicester City 1–4 1–3 2–7 1962–63 Portadown 1R OFK Beograd 3–2 1–5 4–7 1963–64 Linfield 2R Fenerbahçe 2–0 1–4 3–4 1964–65 Derry City 1R Steaua Bucureşti 0–2 0–3 0–5 1965–66 Coleraine 1R Dynamo Kyiv 1–6 0–4 1–10 1966–67 Glentoran 1R Rangers 1–1 0–4 1–5 1967–68 Crusaders 1R Valencia 2–4 0–4 2–8 1968–69 Crusaders 1R Norrköping 2–2 1–4 3–6 1969–70 Ards 1R Roma 0–0 1–3 1–3 1970–71 Linfield 1R Manchester City 2–1 0–1 2–2(a) 1971–72 Distillery 1R Barcelona 1–3 0–4 1–7 1972–73 None entered[note 7] 1973–74 Glentoran 1R Chimia Râmnicu Vâlcea 2–0 2–2 4–2 2R Brann 3–1 1–1 4–2 QF Borussia Mönchengladbach 0–2 0–5 0–7 1974–75 Ards 1R PSV Eindhoven 1–4 0–10 1–14 1975–76 Coleraine 1R Eintracht Frankfurt 2–6 1–5 3–11 1976–77 Carrick Rangers 1R Aris 3–1 1–2 4–3 2R Southampton 2–5 1–4 3–9 1977–78 Coleraine 1R Lokomotive Leipzig 1–4 2–2 3–6 1978–79 Ballymena United 1R Beveren 0–3 0–3 0–6 1979–80 Cliftonville 1R Nantes 0–1 0–7 0–8 1980–81 Crusaders 1R Newport County 0–0 0–4 0–4 1981–82 Ballymena United 1R Roma 0–2 0–4 0–6 1982–83 Coleraine 1R Tottenham Hotspur 0–3 0–4 0–7 1983–84 Glentoran 1R Paris Saint-Germain 1–2 1–2 2–4 1984–85 Ballymena United 1R Ħamrun Spartans 0–1 1–2 1–3 1985–86 Glentoran 1R Fram Reykjavík 1–0 1–3 2–3 1986–87 Glentoran 1R Lokomotive Leipzig 1–1 0–2 1–3 1987–88 Glentoran 1R RoPS 1–1 0–0 1–1(a) 1988–89 Glenavon 1R AGF 1–4 1–3 2–7 1989–90 Ballymena United 1R Anderlecht 0–4 0–6 0–10 1990–91 Glentoran 1R Steaua Bucureşti 1–1 0–5 1–6 1991–92 Glenavon 1R Ilves 3–2 1–2 4–4(a) 1992–93 Glenavon 1R Royal Antwerp 1–1 1–1 2–2(1–3p) 1993–94 Bangor QR APOEL 1–1 1–2 2–3 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1994–95 Bangor QR Tatran Prešov 0–1 0–4 0–5 1995–96 Linfield QR Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 1–4 1–5 1996–97 Glentoran QR Sparta Prague 1–2 0–8 1–10 1997–98 Glenavon QR Legia Warsaw 1–1 0–4 1–5 1998–99 Glentoran QR Maccabi Haifa 0–1 1–2 1–3 PR = Preliminary round; QR = Qualifying round; 1R/2R = First/Second round; QF = Quarter-finals

UEFA Intertoto Cup Season Club Round Opponent Home Away Agg 1996 Cliftonville GS Standard Liège 0–3 Hapoel Haifa 1–1 Stuttgart 1–4 Aalborg 0–4 1997 Ards GS Royal Antwerp 0–1 Nea Salamis Famagusta FC 1–4 Auxerre 0–3 Lausanne Sports 0–6 1998 Omagh Town 1R Rimavská Sobota 2–2 0–1 2–3 1999 Newry Town 1R Hrvatski Dragovoljac 2–0 0–1 2–1 2R MSV Duisburg 1–0 0–2 1–2 2000 Glenavon 1R Slaven Belupo 1–1 0–3 1–4 2001 Cliftonville 1R Tiligul Tiraspol 1–3 0–1 1–4 2002 Coleraine 1R Sant Julià 5–0 2–2 7–2 2R Troyes 1–2 1–2 2–4 2003 Omagh Town 1R Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–7 0–1 1–8 2004 Ballymena United 1R Odense 0–7 0–0 0–7 2005 Lisburn Distillery 1R Žalgiris Vilnius 0–1 0–1 0–2 2006 Dungannon Swifts 1R Keflavik 0–0 1–4 1–4 2007 Cliftonville 1R Dinaburg 1–1 1–0 2–1 2R Gent 0–4 0–2 0–6 2008 Lisburn Distillery 1R TPS Turku 2–3 1–3 3–6 GS = Group stage; 1R/2R = First/Second round

Notes

1. Glenavon qualified for both the 1957–58 European Cup and the 1960–61 European Cup but withdrew from the 1960–61 competition when both clubs were refused visas to enter each other's countries, and it was not financially viable for Glenavon to play the matches in neutral countries.
2. Derry City played in Northern Irish football until 1985, when they joined the League of Ireland and now represent the Republic of Ireland in European competition.
3. Omagh Town was dissolved in 2005 due to financial problems.
4. Newry Town changed its name to Newry City in 2004, and was later dissolved in 2012 due to financial problems.
5. Linfield withdrew from the competition before the home leg was played, as Vorwärts were denied visas for entry into the UK, and it was not financially viable for Linfield to play the match in a neutral country.
6. Derry City withdrew from the competition before the home leg was played, as the IFA ruled that their home ground was not up to standard.
7. No clubs entered European competition this season as a result of the security situation in Northern Ireland. The three clubs that missed out were Glentoran (European Cup), Portadown (UEFA Cup) and Coleraine (Cup Winners' Cup).
8. Dinamo Tbilisi were later expelled from the tournament and suspended from UEFA tournaments for two years for allegedly attempting to bribe match officials. Linfield were reinstated.
9. No clubs entered the Champions League during these seasons as a result of restructuring by UEFA, with entry to the competition limited to the continent's top 24 countries. The league champions entered the UEFA Cup instead.

References

1. Laporte, Norman (2005) [2005]. The Other Germany: Perceptions and Influences in British-East German Relations, 1945–1990 (1st ed.). Wissner. p. 91–106. ISBN 978-3-89639-485-9.
2. linfieldfc.com. "Jim Savoured Seven Trophy Success with Linfield". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
3. "Derry City FC – A Concise History". CityWeb, 2006. Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
4. ESPNsoccernet. "Football's last great taboo?". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
5. rsssf.com. "RSSSF – Georgia". Retrieved 22 July 2013.
6. linfieldfc.com. "Roy McGivern looks ahead to IF Windsor game". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
7. uefa.com. "Linfield in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
8. uefa.com. "Glentoran in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
9. uefa.com. "Crusaders in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
10. uefa.com. "Portadown in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
11. uefa.com. "Cliftonville in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
12. uefa.com. "Coleraine in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
13. uefa.com. "Glenavon in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
14. uefa.com. "Ards in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
15. uefa.com. "Lisburn Distillery in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
16. uefa.com. "Derry City in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
17. uefa.com. "Ballymena United in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
18. uefa.com. "Bangor in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
19. uefa.com. "Dungannon Swifts in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
20. uefa.com. "Carrick Rangers in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
21. uefa.com. "Newry City in UEFA competitions". Retrieved 19 July 2013.

External links

• UEFA Website
• Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation