Where can I watch Shamrock Rovers v APOEL in the Conference League? Details of kick-off time, TV details (yes, it is on television!) match tickets, prize money and referee

Shamrock Rovers celebrate Graham Burke's winner against Bohs in Tallaght on 23 September

Shamrock Rovers celebrate Graham Burke's winner against Bohs in Tallaght on 23 September Credit: Eddie Lennon (ETPhotos)

Where can I watch the match?

You can watch the match between the League of Ireland and Cypriot champions in Tallaght on Thursday night in person live. The opening match of the league stage of the Conference League kicks off at 8pm.

Over 5,000 tickets have been sold for this one and there are season tickets available for all three Rovers home matches (APOEL, TNS, Boruc) with adults starting at €50 but there are also individual tickets for this week’s match (€20 adults/€15 seniors and students/€8 u12s).

Can I watch the match on TV?

Incredibly the answer is yes but you need to have access to Premier Sports which is available through SKY, NOW and Virgin Media.

This is the 21st men’s European match for League of Ireland sides this season but the first to be shown on television (TG4 did stream Peamount United’s last Champions League qualifier on their YouTube channel).

The Premier Sports team will be pitchside in Dublin 24 with Aisling O’Reilly presenting the coverage alongside former Rovers skipper (and LOI record holder for appearances in Europe) Ronan Finn and ex-Wimbledon defender Kenny Cunningham. Match commentary will be provided by Con Murphy and Graham Gartland.

Who is the referee?

It is a French official for this match with the whistle in the hands of Jérémie Pignard.

Will the referee have access to VAR?



Yes.

How did APOEL qualify for the Confernece League and how did they do in Europe last season?

The Cypriot champions lost their Europa League play-off on penalty (3-3agg vs RFS, L2-4 on pens) to drop into the league stage of the Conference League.

APOEL made the Conference League play-offs last year (losing 4-1 on aggregate to Gent)

What is their best European performance?

They made the Champions League quarter-final in 2012 (losing to Real Madrid)



Have the two sides met before?

The Hoops defeated APOEL in the 1978/79 European Cup Winners Cup winning 2-0 at home and 1-0 in Cyprus. 

Will extratime.com be covering the game?

Yes, we will have a reporter in Tallaght on Tuesday night.

How many teams make qualify from league stage?

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 24th 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.

What points total is required to qualify?

Seven points mimimum from the six games would most likely put a team in 24th position or better.

How much prize money has Rovers banked and what is available?

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 is estimated to be around €750,000 for the Hoops).

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 €200k, with the round of 16 earning €0.8m.

Clubs 1 to 8 in the league ranking of the league phase will receive an additional €400k while clubs 9 to 16 will receive an additional €200k.

About Macdara Ferris

Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile