Inter d'Escaldes Draw Lincoln Red Imps in Champions League Qualifiers

Inter Club d'Escaldes will face Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round after Tuesday's draw in Nyon. The Andorran champions, coached by Felip Ortiz, will play the first leg at Victoria Stadium on 8 or 9 July, with the return a week later on 14 or 15 July at Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella. All Andorran clubs will host European home matches at the capital venue during grass replacement work at Estadi de la FAF in Encamp.

Lincoln Red Imps enter as Gibraltar Football League champions, claiming their 30th title and fourth straight with a nine-point lead over runners-up. The team, under Juanma Pavón, wrapped up domestic play on 25 April. Last season, they lost 1-6 on aggregate to Red Star Belgrade in Champions League qualifiers, then fell 1-9 overall to Sporting Braga in the Europa League before advancing to the UEFA Conference League league phase. There, they placed 26th with two wins, one draw and three losses, including a 2-1 home win over Lech Poznań on 23 October—the first group-stage victory for a Gibraltarian side. Founded in 1976 as Blue Batons, the club dominated with 14 straight league titles from 2003 to 2016 and a famous 1-0 home upset of Celtic in 2016 qualifiers. Standouts include 44-year-old Lee Casciaro alongside Spaniards such as goalkeeper Nauzet García, left-back Jesús Toscano, midfielder Nano and forward Kike Gómez.

Inter enter the unseeded pot and benefit from "lucky loser" status: elimination here sends them directly to the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round, skipping the second. This marks their second straight appearance at this Champions League stage. Last year, FCSB eliminated them 3-1 away and 2-1 at home despite goals from Sascha Andreu and Alexandre Llovet. NK Olimpija Ljubljana, led by Jorge Simão, then ousted them from Conference League qualifiers with a 4-2 away loss and 1-1 home draw, despite Martín Calderón's goal. Two years prior, they beat Velež Mostar 5-1 at home—scoring in the opening minute—drew 1-1 away, then lost 3-4 and 0-4 to AEK Athens under Matías Almeyda.

Recent squad moves bring midfielder Lamine Diaby from CFJ Mollerussa, right wingers Sule Sidibé from Atlètic Lleida and Alfred Planas from Inter Kashi FC, left-back Marc Rodríguez from Santboià, and left winger Juanda Fuentes on loan from Gimnàstic Tarragona via FC Andorra. Core retainers include goalkeeper Javi Díaz, Juan Cámara, Maurizio Pochettino, top scorer Borja Arellano and Faysal Chouaib. Departures encompass Pedja Muñoz, Álex Gómez, Arnau Sans, Martín Calderón, Kaxe, Adri Muñoz, Guille Torres and Joseba Muguruza.

In UEFA Conference League first qualifying draws, seeded FC Santa Coloma—led by president Víctor Vázquez—drew Penybont, third in the Welsh Premier League and prior eliminators of Santa Coloma in 2023. Atlètic Club d'Escaldes, coached by Martí Riverola, face FK Mornar, Montenegro runners-up. First legs are on 9 July, returns on 16 July, both at Estadi Nacional—though overlaps with Inter's tie may prompt scheduling changes. Santa Coloma confirmed exits for David Crespo, Sergio Rodríguez, Martín López Ross, Chus Rubio, Hugo Ferreira and Álex Ruiz; Atlètic retained most of last season's squad.