It was a disappointing fortnight for Wales’ clubs in Europe as The New Saints, Connah’s Quay, Pen-y-bont and Caernarfon Town were all eliminated over two legs in the first qualifying round of European competition.
Connah’s Quay were the only one of the four sides to avoid defeat in both matches of the opening qualifying round, with the Nomads earning a goalless draw at home against Ballkani before losing 3-2 in the second leg to the side that finished third in the Kosovo Superleague last season.
Caernarfon Town suffered a convincing 10-0 aggregate defeat against Estonian league leaders Levadia Tallinn.
For the second time in three years, Pen-y-bont were knocked out by Andorran side Santa Coloma, losing 4-0 on aggregate.
The New Saints were the seeded side heading into their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie against Sabah, but it was the Azerbaijani club that progressed over the two legs.
The New Saints now drop into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, where they will face the reigning Estonian champions, Flora Tallinn.
Flora Tallinn (Estonia) v The New Saints | Thursday, 23 July – 17:00
(A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn – First Leg of UEFA Conference League 2026/27 Second Qualifying Round)
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.
It was a difficult first leg in Azerbaijan, where the Saints were beaten 2-0, and the tie was effectively over after Sabah scored twice in the first half of the return leg at Park Hall.
Josh Lock came off the bench in the second half to scored a late consolation goal on his European debut, but it was too little, too late for the Saints, who have now gone nine European matches without a win (one draw, eight defeats).
The Saints’ next challenge 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 Town 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 2o21/22 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 second leg will be played at Park Hall on Thursday, 30 July, before the winners prgress to the third qualifying round where they will face the Andorran champions, Inter Club d’Escaldes.
TNS European record:
Ties: 53 (won 12, lost 41) / Matches: 9 8(won 20, drawn 16, lost 62)
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).
