Gibraltar clubs face tough start to European competitions

It’s that time of year in football when Gibraltar’s top clubs face UEFA competition.
Three clubs will be participating in European football this summer. Lincoln Red Imps, as league champions, will once again compete in the Champions League.
St Joseph’s, who finished runners-up in the league, will be playing in the Europa Conference League, with Bruno’s Magpies also joining them after winning the Rock Cup this season.
Lincoln Red Imps will start their campaign with a trip to the Faroe Islands, where they will face Víkingur.
The first leg will be played on Tuesday, June 8, with the return match, to be held at Europa Sports Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday, June 15.
A 5:30 PM kick-off for the second leg means it’s likely to be a sweltering affair for both sides, with the summer heat already brightening our skies.
Whether this will benefit the local side remains to be seen—previous seasons have shown that Gibraltar clubs often struggle in the heat just as much as their opponents.
For Lincoln Red Imps, progressing to the second qualifying round would ensure a prolonged European campaign.
Should they win, they will face FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB), better known as Red Star Belgrade.
Both opponents are familiar to local football fans. Víkingur faced Europa FC in 2022, securing two wins. Coincidentally, Crvena Zvezda also faced Europa FC in 2020, earning a comprehensive victory.
Lincoln Red Imps will be hoping for better results this time—especially against Víkingur—as they aim to reach the second qualifying round, which could boost their chances of reaching the Conference League group stage at a later point.
Failure to get past the first qualifying round of the Champions League would see Lincoln Red Imps drop into the Champions Path of the Conference League third qualifying round, skipping the second round entirely.
This draw gives them a favourable route, edging them closer to the play-offs.
In the Europa Conference League, Gibraltar’s two other representatives face tough challenges.
St Joseph’s will once again take on an Irish side—this time, Cliftonville. The latter secured their spot in Europe through a play-off win over Coleraine, having finished lower in the NIFL league table.

St Joseph’s, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification after suffering just one defeat in their league campaign—a bitter pill to swallow.
If St Joseph’s beat Cliftonville, they will travel across the Irish border to face Shamrock Rovers in the second round.
They will start their campaign at home on July 8, with the second leg in Ireland the following week.
Victory over Cliftonville would bring them back to Gibraltar to host Shamrock Rovers at Europa Point.
Their last encounter with an Irish team left a sour note, with visiting fans allegedly chanting provocative political messages, leading to UEFA sanctions. They’ll be hoping for a different experience this time.
Bruno’s Magpies will open their Conference League campaign on Thursday, June 10, facing Estonian side Paide at Europa Sports Stadium.
With a 5 PM kick-off, another hot match is expected. Like the other local clubs, Bruno’s will hope the heat works in their favour.
Paide, founded in 2004, has played in the Meistriliiga since 2009 and has never been relegated.
They made their European debut in 2020 and finished second in their league that same year.
In 2022, they lifted their first major trophy—the Estonian Cup.
Their first European victories came in the 2022–23 season, defeating FC Dinamo Tbilisi and FC Ararat-Armenia in the Conference League qualifying rounds.
Paide have struggled with stadium requirements. Their home ground—with a capacity of just 500—is not UEFA-approved, so they’ve played European matches at alternative venues like the 1,500-capacity Pärnu Rannastaadion, the 14,336-capacity Lilleküla Stadium, Kadriorg Stadium, and A. Le Coq Arena.
They’re used to playing on artificial turf, so Gibraltar’s surface won’t trouble them.
This match-up is a tricky one. Paide’s profile mirrors Gibraltar’s domestic league in many ways, making this one of the toughest tests for Bruno’s Magpies, who are also in a transitional period.
After Nathan Rooney’s departure, the team ended the season under Terence Jolley, who guided them to European qualification.