After a six-week pre-season campaign and a number of friendly fixtures, the rubber finally hits the competitive road for The New Saints on Tuesday when they return to action in the UEFA Champions League.

Following their historic UEFA Conference League qualification last season, Craig Harrison’s side head into this year’s campaign with added European experience, and they’ll be hoping to take full advantage when North Macedonian champions KF Shkëndija visit Park Hall in the first qualifying round. 

Ballistët (or the Ballists in English) may be a familiar name for supporters of The New Saints, as the two clubs have previous history after squaring off at the same stage of the competition back in 2018 – on that occasion, it was the team from the Balkans who ultimately triumphed.

That doesn’t tell the full story, however, as after losing the first leg 5-0 in Skopje, the Saints, managed at the time by Scott Ruscoe, almost pulled off a sensational second-leg comeback. Although the 4-0 result on the night wasn’t enough to prevent them from being eliminated on aggregate, their performance at Park Hall still earned plenty of plaudits. 

For Shkëndija, it’s been a long journey back to the UEFA Champions League, as prior to last season, their previous title victory and resulting appearance in the competition came all the way back in 2021. 

After finishing third twice and then a second-placed finish, Jeton Bekjiri’s team finally returned to the Macedonian First League summit in 2025 though, finishing three points clear of nearest rivals Sileks. 

Although they’ve been absent from Europe’s elite club competition, the team from Tetovo have still enjoyed a taste of continental football via the UEFA Conference League in recent years, reaching the third qualifying round in 2022/23. They won’t have happy memories from their last meeting with a JD Cymru Premier side, however, as they were eliminated by Haverfordwest County on penalties just two seasons ago. 

Thanks to the new competition format launched in 2021, the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League has taken on increased significance in recent seasons, as victory means that a club is then just one win away from securing guaranteed league phase football. 

The on-field officials for Tuesday’s match are all from the Republic of Ireland: Rob Hennessy (referee), Dermot Broughton and Emmett Dynan (assistant referees) and Paul Norton (fourth official).

Meanwhile the video assistant referee (Jeroen Manschot) and assistant video assistant referee (Clay Ruperti) are both from the Netherlands. 

Tickets for the fixture remain on sale and can be purchased online via Fanbase. Priced at £25 for adults, £17.50 for concessions and £10 for U18s, supporters have the option of upgrading to our hospitality package for an extra £35.

If you’re unable to attend Park Hall in person, Tuesday’s all-important fixture will be broadcast live via S4C. The match will also be available to watch on Sgorio’s digital platforms.