The New Saints (0) v (1) Flora Tallinn | Thursday, 30 July – 18:30
(Park Hall, Oswestry – Second Leg of UEFA Conference League 2026/27 Second Qualifying Round)
It will be a historic night at Park Hall on Thursday as The New Saints prepare for their 100th European match.
However, the Estonian side hold a slender advantage from the first leg in Tallinn last week.
Remi Valdmets scored the only goal of the game after half an hour at the A. Le Coq Arena, with the 18-year-old producing a fine volley that flew past Nathan Shepperd.
The Saints showed flashes of quality, with Dan Williams striking the post in the second half, and Craig Harrison will therefore have the belief that his side are capable of turning the tie around in the second leg.
The New Saints have dropped into the UEFA Conference League qualifiers after losing 4-1 on aggregate to Azerbaijani champions Sabah in the first qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League.
The Saints’ present test is to overcome Estonian giants Flora Tallinn – the country’s most successful club, who claimed their 16th league title last season.
Estonia’s Meistriliiga is played over the summer, and Flora currently sit second after 19 league matches this season, 10 points behind neighbours Levadia Tallinn, the side that comfortably defeated Caernarfon 10-0 on aggregate in the previous round.
Like The New Saints, Flora Tallinn have extensive European experience, but recent results have been disappointing.
Flora have won just one of their last 15 European matches, with that victory coming after extra time against Virtus of San Marino.
This season, like The New Saints, Flora began their European campaign in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, but were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Georgian side Iberia 1999.
Flora’s most successful European campaign came in 2021/22 when they reached the group stage of the UEFA Conference League for the first time in the club’s history.
The New Saints are Wales’ most successful club in European competition, with the Oswestry-based side having competed regularly on the continent since 1996.
The Saints progressed beyond the qualifying rounds for the first time in their history in 2024, reaching the UEFA Conference League league phase, where they faced Panathinaikos and Fiorentina.
However, their most recent European campaign was less successful, with The New Saints failing to win any of their four European matches in 2025 (one draw, three defeats).
The winners of the tie will progress to the third qualifying round where they will face the Andorran champions, Inter Club d’Escaldes.
TNS European recond:
Ties: 53 (won 12, lost 41) / Matches: 99 (won 20, drawn 16, lost 63)
Last campaign (2025/26): The Saints lost both of their ties. They were defeated after extra time by Shkëndija in the Champions League (1-2 on aggregate) before losing to Differdange in the UEFA Conference League (0-2 on aggregate).
