Kosovo's football champion, Drita, has learned its opponent for the first qualifying round of the Champions League for the 2026/27 season.
Drita will face Kauno Zalgiris of Lithuania. Drita was the Group 2 winner in the draw held on Tuesday in Nyon, Switzerland.
The first legs take place on July 7/8, while the return legs take place on July 14/15.
Drita will be the guest in the first match.
"A team that we don't know, but we have the right time to follow the opponent and prepare our team in the best way. I see an advantage in the opponent, because the championship is played there and undoubtedly the rivals are in better shape than us. But when it comes to this competition, sometimes freshness is also very good," said coach Zekirija Ramadani.
Last season, the team from Gjilan had a successful journey in Europe. They successfully passed the first round of the Champions League, but were eliminated in the second.
Drita continued to the third qualifying round of the Europa League and were again eliminated. They were promoted to the Conference League, where they made it through the play-offs, the league stage and were eliminated in the knockout stage play-offs.
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Drita's opponent, Zalgiris, has been participating in European competitions since the 2019/20 edition, while their greatest achievement was appearing in the third qualifying round of the Conference League.
It is the first time that he will appear in the Champions League qualifiers.
Egnatia, the champion of Albania, also appears in the first qualifying round of the Champions League. Egnatia faces Petrocub of Moldova.
