Slovenia's Celje secure spot in UEFA Conference League

Although several were in contention, Celje have been the only Slovenian football club in the end to make it to European competitions for the 2025-26 season. They secured their place in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League with a convincing win.

The decisive match was held in the Czech Republic when Celje defeated Banik Ostrava 2:0 in the final leg of qualifying and got their ticket to the third-tier competition of European club football, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The goals came early for Celje as Nikita Iosifov struck from distance in the 10th minute, before Žan Karničnik added a second goal in the 21st minute with a well-placed low finish.

Following the previous 1:0 home victory, the Slovenian side, led by Spanish coach Albert Riera, advanced with a 3:0 aggregate score.

The victory makes Celje, the 2023-24 national cup winners, the most successful Slovenian club in recent years when it comes to European competitions.

This will be their second appearance in a row in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League after they had a surprise run last season all the way to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Riera was elated after the game as he congratulated the players. He said the success was the result of experience they gained together last year, when he started coaching in Celje.

"We're adults, we've gained experience. This is what you get by playing... We know what we want," he said according to the sports portal Ekipa.

In terms of market value, Celje are ahead of only two of the teams they face in the league phase, but this has not been an obstacle for the Slovenian club so far as they eliminated Lugano in the qualifiers.

The first round matches will take place on 2 October and the league phase will end after six rounds on 18 December. The best 16 clubs will advance to the knockout phase.