Earlier this week, Penybont were drawn against Andorra’s FC Santa Coloma in the first qualifying round of the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League.
Penybont qualified after finishing third in the 2022-23 Cymru Premier. It’s the first time Penybont – or either of the pre-merger clubs, Bridgend Town & Bryntirion Athletic – have qualified for a European club competition.
Just to underline how important this is, reaching the first qualifying round is worth a minimum of €150,000 (just under £130,000) to Penybont – which is more prize money than Manchester United received for winning the English League Cup last season (£100,000) and is similar to the prize money for winning a tie in the fourth round of the English FA Cup. Going only one or two qualifying rounds further could double or treble that sum.
Penybont were unseeded for the draw, so the first leg will be at home on Thursday 13th July. The exact kickoff time is still subject to confirmation. The game will be staged at the Brewery Field to meet UEFA stadium requirements.
Tickets (including hospitality packages and concessionary tickets) are only available online – here – with the club saying that no tickets are expected be available on the day due to stadium requirements.
The second leg will be hosted in Andorra a week later on Thursday 20th July.
FC Santa Coloma is Andorra’s most successful club. So although this may come as a surprise – given Andorra’s population is about half that of Bridgend county – Penybont will be considered underdogs.
Should Penybont qualify from the first round, their second round opponents will be the winner of the tie between Montenegrin cup winners FK Sutjeska and San Marino’s SS Cosmos.
