Little-known rule means seventh-tier side could qualify for Europa Conference League tonight

An amateur club playing in the seventh tier of Swiss football could qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League tonight thanks to a little-known rule.

As the domestic club season draws to a close, teams across Europe are fighting to qualify for European competitions next term.

While the race for Champions League football has wrapped up in many leagues, there are still places in the Europa League and Europa Conference League up for grabs.

Remarkably, one of those places could go to an amateur club from the microstate of Liechtenstein.

Fussball-Club Triesenberg have the opportunity to secure a place in the qualifying rounds of the 2024-25 Europa Conference League, and if they do so it will be one of the most bizarre football stories of the year.

Being a principality of 39,000 people, Liechtenstein has just seven football clubs and is the only UEFA nation that does not have a domestic league.

The clubs therefore play in Switzerland's football pyramid, with FC Vaduz playing in the Swiss second division as the highest ranked club from Liechtenstein.

Teams from Liechtenstein cannot qualify for the Champions League, as they participate in the Swiss leagues as 'guest clubs'.

However, the Liechtenstein Football Cup - introduced in 1945 - offers a place in Europa Conference League qualification to the winner.

This season's final sees 49-time winners Vaduz take on Triesenberg, an amateur team that plays in Switzerland's seventh tier. The team's home is in a municipality of the same name which has a population of around 2,600.

The winner of the match will enter the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League, with ties set to take place on 11 & 18 July 2024.

Triesenberg have only reached the final once before, losing 5-0 to Vaduz in 2015. Vaduz have won the last nine editions of the competition, and hold the world record for the most domestic cup wins by a single club (49).

Minnows have competed in Europe before, including Gibraltar sides Europa FC and Lincoln Red Imps.

Topics: Football, UEFA, Europa Conference League

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

@alex_brotherton