Ukrainian Shakhtar's path to Europe begins against Ilves
Photo: Shakhtar learns its first opponent in the Europa League
The draw for the first qualifying round of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League took place in Nyon, Switzerland, on June 17. Ukraine's sole representative in the tournament—FC Shakhtar Donetsk—learned its first opponent, as reported on the official UEFA website.
Who the Miners will face
Arda Turan's team will need to overcome four opponents to reach the main stage of the Europa League. Shakhtar will be seeded in all qualifying rounds. If they lose at any stage, the team will continue its campaign in the UEFA Conference League.
In the first qualifying round, potential opponents for the Ukrainian Cup holders included: Häcken (Sweden), Sabah (Azerbaijan), Ilves (Finland), and Prishtina (Kosovo).
As a result of the draw, Shakhtar's opponent was determined to be Finnish Ilves.
The first-leg matches of this round will be played on July 10 and 17, with Shakhtar playing the opening game as the nominal home side.
Europa League 1st Qualifying Round draw results:
- Shakhtar (Ukraine) vs. Ilves (Finland)
- Sheriff (Moldova) vs. Prishtina (Kosovo)
- Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) vs. Häcken (Sweden)
- Sabah (Azerbaijan) vs. Celje (Slovenia)
- Legia (Poland) vs. Aktobe (Kazakhstan)
- Levski (Bulgaria) vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel)
- AEK (Cyprus) vs. Partizan (Serbia)
- Paksi (Hungary) vs. CFR Cluj (Romania)
The draw for the second qualifying round will take place on June 18, with matches scheduled for July 24 and 31.
