Northern Ireland's standing in European football has taken a significant hit after Irish League clubs struggled in Uefa competitions. The association dropped to 51st place in Uefa's coefficient ranking out of 55 members, putting it at risk of losing one of its four allocated European spots from the 2028-29 season.
Larne's loss to Iberia 1999 of Georgia in the Europa League qualifying round proved costly. The Irish Premiership champions had beaten Tre Flori in their first Champions League qualifying round but were eliminated by Red Star Belgrade in the second. Glentoran and Linfield both exited the Conference League at the qualifying stage, while cup winners Coleraine were defeated by Helsinki in the second qualifying round.
The Uefa coefficient ranking determines how many European places each national association receives. Points are awarded for wins across the five previous seasons and divided by the number of clubs that participated in each campaign. Northern Ireland has fallen four places in the rankings, with Georgia leapfrogging the association into 50th place.
Gerard Lawlor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Football League, said he was "very" worried about the situation. "The better our clubs do in Europe, the higher up the rankings the teams get us, the more money that comes into the pot for everyone," he said on BBC Radio Ulster.
Larne's hopes of improving the coefficient rest partly on reaching the league phase of the Conference League, as they accomplished in 2024. They face either Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar or Cyprus side Omonia in the final qualifying round. Should Larne reach the league phase, clubs earn two points for a win and one for a draw, compared to half points in qualifying rounds.
