Following their Meridianbet FA Trophy triumph, Valletta FC are now preparing for a return to European football, with the Citizens expected to enter the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League from the second qualifying round.
Under UEFA’s revised access list system, Malta’s domestic cup winners have effectively benefited from the reshuffling of European qualification places across the continent. Due to the continued suspension of Russian clubs and the subsequent rebalancing of UEFA competition access lists, associations ranked around Malta’s level now receive slightly improved entry positions compared to previous seasons.
As a result, Valletta are projected to skip the opening qualifying round entirely and begin directly from the second qualifying round, with ties scheduled to take place on 23 and 30 July 2026. The official draw for that round is expected to be held on 16 June at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Avoiding the first qualifying round represents a major advantage for the Maltese side. Not only does it reduce the number of matches required to reach the league phase, but it also allows Valletta additional preparation time during pre-season while avoiding the unpredictability of the earliest summer qualifiers.
Despite this favourable entry point, the Citizens are still likely to face a very challenging draw because of their UEFA club coefficient, which currently stands at 1.800 according to the latest projected rankings. This coefficient places Valletta firmly among the unseeded clubs for the second qualifying round.
UEFA’s draw system separates clubs into seeded and unseeded pots based entirely on coefficient rankings. Unseeded teams are automatically paired against seeded opposition, meaning Valletta cannot face another lower-ranked club at this stage.
Before the draw itself takes place, UEFA usually regionalises the clubs into smaller geographical groups to reduce travel distances and simplify logistics. This means Valletta are more likely to face opponents from Southern Europe, Scandinavia, Central Europe or the Balkans rather than more distant eastern regions.
Among the strongest clubs currently projected to enter the second qualifying round are major European names such as AFC Ajax, Sporting Clube de Braga, Panathinaikos FC and FC København.
Other potentially dangerous opponents include SK Brann, Hibernian FC, SK Rapid Wien, Raków Częstochowa and İstanbul Başakşehir FK. There also remains the possibility of Valletta being drawn against clubs dropping from either the Champions League or Europa League qualification pathways, which could significantly increase the level of opposition. UEFA’s qualification system allows eliminated teams from higher competitions to filter into the Conference League during later rounds, making the competition increasingly difficult as the summer progresses.
