Shamrock Rovers set for Conference League as teams confirmed for the six pots ahead of today’s lunchtime draw

While Shamrock Rovers suffered a 2-0 second leg loss to PAOK in the play-off last night in Tallaght to be eliminated from the Europa League, at lunchtime today they will learn who they will play in the new league stage of the Conference League.

UEFA have confirmed the pots ahead of the draw which will take place in the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco at 1.30pm Irish time.

Swiss model

In the Conference League, there will be 36 teams in the new league stage with each team playing six matches against six different opponents 

Based on their UEFA rankings, teams are seeded into six pots of six teams as listed below. Each club will be drawn against one opponent from each of the six pots. The six pots will be paired (pots 1 and 2, pots 3 and 4, and post 5 and 6). Each club will play one opponent at home and the other opponent away from each of the two paired pots.

Teams in the top pot include Chelsea, Gent (who the Hoops played two years ago in the Europa Conference League), and last year’s runners up Fiorentina.

Pot 1: Chelsea (England), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gent (Belgium), Fiorentina (Italy), LASK (Austria), Real Betis (Spain)

Pot 2: Istanbul Basaksehir (Türkiye), Molde (Norway), Legia Warsaw (Poland), Heidenheim (Germany), Djurgarden (Sweden), Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)

Pot 3: Rapid Wien (Austria), Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus), HJK Helsinki (Finland), Vitoria (Portugal), Astana (Kazakhstan), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Pot 4: Cercle Brugge (Belgium), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland), The New Saints (Wales), Lugano (Switzerland), Mlada Boleslav (Czechia), Hearts (Scotland)

Pot 5: Petrocub (Moldova), St Gallen (Switzerland), Panathinaikos (Greece), TSC Backa Topola (Serbia), Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Jagiellonia (Poland)

Pot 6: Celje (Slovenia), Larne (Northern Ireland), Dinamo Minsk (Belarus), Pafos (Cyprus), Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland), Noah (Armenia)

Teams can only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association so a team can’t be drawn to play all three Cypriot teams but could face both teams from Austria, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland.

In principle, teams will not play more than two home or two away matches in a row, and each club plays one home match and one away match in the first two matchdays and the last two matchdays.

When will the fixture list be available?

The fixture list will be available from Saturday 31 August as UEFA review the draw results to ensure no calendar clashes with teams playing in the same cities including Champions League and Europa League matches.

What are the Conference League matchdays

Matchday 1: October 3, 2024

Matchday 2: October 24, 2024

Matchday 3: November 7, 2024

Matchday 4: November 28, 2024

Matchday 5: December 12, 2024

Matchday 6: December 19, 2024

What are the kick off times?

18:45 CET or 21:00 CET (5.45pm or 8pm Irish time)

How do you qualify for the knock-out stages?

Of the 36 teams in the league stage, 24 teams will advance into the knockout stages in February 2025. Teams one to eight get a bye and go directly into the round of 16, while ninth to 24^th will go into a series of two legged matches to earn the right to go to the last 16. Teams 25 to 36 will be eliminated.

Which of the team have made group stage/league stage football for the first time?

Borac Banja Luka, Celje, Cercle Brugge, Heidenheim, Jagiellonia Białystok, Larne, Noah, Pafos, Petrocub Hîncești, The New Saints and Víkingur Reykjavík all will make their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group or league phase.

Noah came through four Conference League qualifying rounds to make the league stage – the first club to ever manage that feat.

Remind me of the money on offer?

For claiming a place in the league stage of the Conference League, it will bring Rovers’ earnings up to a minimum €3.87 million (plus additional five year and ten year rankings UEFA prize money that could add close to another €1 million for Shamrock Rovers).

Prize money for results in the league stage of the Conference League is €400k for a win and €133k for a draw. Progression out of this league stage with qualification for the knockout round of the Conference League earns €300k, with the round of 16 earning €1.75m.

Where is the final?

The 2024/25 Conference League season concludes at Stadion Wrocław in Poland. The home of two-time Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław, the venue has a capacity of over 40,000 and is the third biggest stadium in the country.

Europa League Play-Off Report: Shamrock Rovers 0 - 2 PAOK (0-6 on aggregate) https://t.co/ibI7pXKPespic.twitter.com/86DGWX5wBv

— extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) August 29, 2024