European Cups: Virtus draw the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and North Macedonia. This is the – at least initial – geography of the summer for San Marino clubs involved in the European Cups. The campaign will be launched by Virtus, reigning league champions and set for the First Qualifying Round of the Champions League. From the draw held this afternoon in Nyon, they were paired with HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, winners of the Bosnian championship and a familiar name for Tre Penne. The Neroverdi from Acquaviva will host the first leg at San Marino Stadium on Tuesday 8 July, before flying to Bosnia for the return fixture the following week. The key innovation this season is an additional draw held alongside that for the Champions League First Qualifying Round, designed to “rebalance the matches”, as stated verbatim on UEFA’s website. In practice, the losers of two of the fourteen ties in the Champions League First Qualifying Round would move directly to the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Conference League instead of, as usual, the Second. One of the two pairings selected was precisely Virtus v HŠK Zrinjski Mostar: as a result, the losing side will return to European action – this time in the Conference League – in the window between 7 August (first leg) and 14 August (second leg).

The Conference League is a much more immediate concern for the yellow and blue duo of La Fiorita and Tre Fiori, who finished second and third respectively in the most recent Campionato Sammarinese. The Montegiardino side have drawn FK Vardar, winners of the latest North Macedonia Cup, and will host the first leg on 10 July, before playing their remaining cards for progression (from the First Qualifying Round) away from home the following Thursday. Same round, but reversed schedule, for Tre Fiori, who on 10 July will be in Armenia to face FC Pyunik (already Folgore’s opponents in the summer of 2015), before welcoming them to San Marino Stadium on 17 July.