On Tuesday, June 17, the first round of the Europa League of the 20125/2026 League Season was held in the UEFA Headquarters in the Swiss Nyon. The bronze medalist of the Ukrainian Premier League-Shakhtar Donetsk-learned his first rival in the European Cup arena.
Marino Pushich's team was met with a representative of Finland - the Ilves Tampere.
The matches of this qualification stage will take place on July 10 and 17. The first game "Miners" will be held on the away, and the match-answer-at home, if UEFA does not determine the other for security reasons.
Ilves is one of the leaders of Finnish football, which is currently competing at Veikkausliiga (Higher Division of Finland). Although the club does not have a great European history history, it should not be underestimated, especially in matches on its own field.
For Shakhtar, this will be the first official match of the new season, as well as the debut in the Europa League after long performances in the Champions League. The club should be ambitious as far as possible in the tournament, so the starting round will be an important step in checking the new team and coaching ideas.
