Welsh clubs in Europe


[Left] Llanelli score against Motherwell and [right] Nicolas Anelka of Manchester City and Chris
King of TNS in the 2004 Uefa Cup tie at the City of Manchester Stadium [Phil Blagg].

Inaugural champions of the League of Wales in 1992/93, Cwmbran Town were the first club from the domestic league to compete in Europe. Barry Town were the first to win a European tie, after beating FC Dinaburg from Latvia and Visutas Budapest from Hungary in the 1996 Uefa Cup. They repeated the feat in 2001, beating Shamkir from Azerbaijan. In 2005, both Carmarthen Town and Rhyl also won first qualifying round ties in the same competition.
Llanelli again improved the domestic record in 2006 by beating Swedish outfit Gefle IF 2-1 on their own ground, qualifying for a second qualifying round tie with Odense.
The most high profile European ties in recent years have involved TNS, who drew Manchester City in the 2004/5 Uefa Cup and Liverpool in the 2005/6 Champions Leage.
Four Welsh Premier clubs now qualify for European competitions.
In 2010, champions The New Saints will play in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
Runners-up Llanelli will enter the Europa League (first qualifying round) along with third-placed Port Talbot.
Welsh Cup winners Bangor City go straight into the second qualifying round of the same competition.

EUROPEAN CALENDAR 2010/11
29/20 June 2010 1st qualifying round Champions League, 1st leg
1 July 2010 1st qualifying round Europa League, 1st leg
6/7 July 2010 1st qualifying round Champions League, 2nd leg
8 July 2010 1st qualifying round Europa League, 2nd leg
13/14 July 2010 2nd qualifying round Champions League, 1st leg
15 July 2010 2nd qualifying round Europa League, 1st leg
16 July 2010 Draw for 3rd qualifying round Champions League & Europa League
20/21 July 2010 2nd qualifying round Champions League, 2nd leg
22 July 2010 2nd qualifying round Europa League, 2nd leg
27/28 July 2010 3rd qualifying round Champions League, 1st leg
29 July 2010 3rd qualifying round Europa League, 1st leg
3/4 August 2010 3rd qualifying round Champions League, 2nd leg
5 August 2010 3rd qualifying round Europa League, 2nd leg

Next year, under the league's new fixture format, the third Europa League spot will be determined by a play-off involving the clubs finishing in third to seventh places (or eighth if the Welsh Cup winners finish in one of those positions).