League of Ireland clubs have participated in European football competitions since the 1957–58 European Cup, where Shamrock Rovers were eliminated in the preliminary round by Manchester United. In total, 19 clubs have represented the Republic of Ireland in European competition.
Statistics As of 24 July 2025
European Cup / UEFA Champions League First game played: Shamrock Rovers 0-6 Manchester United, 25 September 1957 (1957–58 European Cup preliminary round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 13 - Shamrock Rovers Most games played: 33 - Dundalk Most wins: 5 - Shamrock Rovers / Shelbourne Most draws: 12 - Dundalk Most defeats: 19 - Shamrock Rovers
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League First game played: Drumcondra Dublin 4-1 Odense XI, 3 October 1962 (1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 15 - Shamrock Rovers / Bohemians Most games played: 50 - Shamrock Rovers Most wins: 13 - Shamrock Rovers Most draws: 10 - Bohemians Most defeats: 28 - Shamrock Rovers
UEFA Conference League First game played: Dundalk 4-0 Newtown, 8 July 2021 (2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 5 - Shamrock Rovers Most games played: 20 - Shamrock Rovers Most wins: 6 - Shamrock Rovers Most draws: 4 - Shamrock Rovers Most defeats: 10 - Shamrock Rovers
European Cup Winners Cup / UEFA Cup Winners Cup First game played: Dunfermline Athletic 4-1 St. Patrick's Athletic, 12 September 1961 (1961-62 European Cup Winners' Cup first round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 6 - Shamrock Rovers Most games played: 16 - Shamrock Rovers Most wins: 5 - Shamrock Rovers Most draws: 2 - Shamrock Rovers / Bohemians Most defeats: 9 - Shamrock Rovers
UEFA Intertoto Cup First game played: Bohemians 0-2 Odense, 24 June 1995 (1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage) Most competitions appeared in: 4 - Cork City Most games played: 16 - Cork City Most wins: 4 - Bohemians / Cork City Most draws: 6 - Cork City Most defeats: 6 - Bohemians / Cork City
Overall First game played: Shamrock Rovers 0-6 Manchester United, 25 September 1957 (1957–58 European Cup preliminary round, first leg) Most competitions appeared in: 41 - Shamrock Rovers Most games played: 124 - Shamrock Rovers Most wins: 32 - Shamrock Rovers Most draws: 23 - Shamrock Rovers / Dundalk Most defeats: 69 - Shamrock Rovers
Biggest winning margin (match): 5 goals - Aberystwyth Town 0-5 Derry City (2014-15 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round)
Biggest winning margin (aggregate): 9 goals - Derry City 9-0 Aberystwyth Town (2014-15 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round)
Heaviest defeat (match): 12 goals - Derby County 12-0 Finn Harps (1976-77 UEFA Cup first round)
Heaviest defeat (aggregate): 15 goals - Finn Harps 1-16 Derby County (1976-77 UEFA Cup first round)
UEFA coefficient and ranking
For the 2026-27 UEFA competitions, the associations will be allocated places according to their 2025 UEFA association coefficient, which is based on their clubs' performances in UEFA club competitions between the 2020-21 season and the 2024-25 season. In the 2025 rankings used to allocate berths for the 2026-27 European competitions, the Republic of Ireland's coefficient points total will be 14.968. After earning a score 5.343 points during the 2024-25 European campaign, the Republic of Ireland climbed 4 places to 31st out of 55 in the rankings, earning them a spot in the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round.
Rank Nation Points2919.8753019.6253114.9683214.53313.52 Full list
Appearances in UEFA competitions Overview of clubs As of 24 July 2025 ClubUEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Europa League (including Inter-Cities Fairs Cup)UEFA Europa Conference LeagueUEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Intertoto CupTotalAppsPWDLAppsPWDLAppsPWDLAppsPWDLAppsPWDLAppsPWDLShamrock Rovers1332581915501392852696116165292630341130352570Dundalk1233412171243106272943238215000002994202351Bohemians618441015313101816411382243104062873171739St. Patrick's Athletic4803512421072541875612002142022274191540Shelbourne7245910819241314121410118363122365141734Cork City3102171132771800000241034164662062141434Derry City36015102675143104242411200000184612925Sligo Rovers2400441024428404261141402211327720Waterford6143011000000000038116000009224117Limerick24004120110000036015000006120210Drogheda United14211412345000000000000000516556Drumcondra3610526204000000000000000512309Cork Hibernians1200212002000002621300000410217Finn Harps000003600600000120110000048017Longford Town000003611400000000000000036114Bray Wanderers000001200200000120110000024013Cork Celtic120020000000000120110000024013Home Farm000000000000000120110000012011Sporting Fingal000001200200000000000000012002Total641672639102103291605817318813319293586161555144616921234671151140380
Active competitions
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
SeasonClubRoundOpponentHomeAwayAggregate European Cup 1957-58 Shamrock Rovers PR Manchester United0-62-32-9 1958-59 Drumcondra PR Atlético Madrid1-50-81-13 1959-60 Shamrock Rovers PR Nice1-12-33-4 1960-61 Limerick PR Young Boys0-52-42-9 1961-62 Drumcondra PR 1. FC Nürnberg1-40-51-9 1962-63 Shelbourne PR Sporting CP0-21-51-7 1963-64 Dundalk PR Zürich0-32-12-4 1964-65 Shamrock Rovers PR Rapid Wien0-20-30-5 1965-66 Drumcondra PR Vorwärts Berlin1–00–31–3 1966-67 Waterford PR Vorwärts Berlin 1–6 0–6 1–12 1967-68 Dundalk 1R Vasas0-11-81-9 1968-69 Waterford 1R Manchester United 1–3 1–7 2–10 1969-70 Waterford 1R Galatasaray 2–3 0–2 2–5 1970–71 Waterford 1R Glentoran 1–0 3–1 4–12R Celtic 0–7 2–3 2–10 1971-72 Cork Hibernians 1R Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-5 1-2 1-71972–73 Waterford 1R Omonia 0–2 2–1 2–31973–74 Waterford 1R Újpest 2–3 0–3 2–61974–75Cork Celtic1R Omoniaw/o 2R Ararat Yerevan1–20–52–7 1975–76 Bohemians 1R Rangers1–41–12–5 1976-77 Dundalk 1R PSV Eindhoven 1–1 0–6 1–7 1977-78 Sligo Rovers 1R Crvena Zvezda 0-3 0-3 0-61978-79Bohemians1R Omonia 1-0 1-2 2-2 (a) 2R Dynamo Dresden 0-0 0-60-61979-80DundalkPR Linfield 1-1 2-0 3-11R Hibernians 2-0 0-1 2-1 2R Celtic 0-0 2-3 2-3 1980-81 Limerick 1R Real Madrid 1-2 1-5 2-7 1981-82 Athlone Town PR KB 2-2 1-1 3-3 (a) 1982-83 Dundalk 1R Liverpool 1-4 0-1 1-5 1983-84 Athlone Town 1R Standard Liège 2-3 2-8 4-11 1984-85 Shamrock Rovers 1R Linfield 1-1 0-0 1-1 (a) 1985-86 Shamrock Rovers 1R Budapest Honvéd 1-3 0-2 1-5 1986-87 Shamrock Rovers 1R Celtic 0-1 0-2 0-3 1987-88 Shamrock Rovers 1R Omonia 0-1 0-0 0-1 1988-89 Dundalk 1R Crvena Zvezda 0-5 0-3 0-8 1989-90 Derry City 1R Benfica 1-2 0-4 1-6 1990-91 St. Patrick's Athletic 1R Dinamo Bucureşti 1-1 0-4 1-5 1991-92 Dundalk 1R Kispest Honvéd 0-2 1-1 1-3 UEFA Champions League 1992-93 Shelbourne PR SC Tavriya Simferopol 0-0 1-2 1-21993-94Cork CityPR Cwmbrân Town 2-1 2-3 4-4 (a) 1R Galatasaray 0-1 1-2 1-3 1994-95None entered 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 Derry City 1QR Maribor 0-2 0-1 0-3 1998-99 St. Patrick's Athletic 1QR Celtic 0-2 0-0 0-2 1999-2000 St. Patrick's Athletic 1QR Zimbru Chișinău 0-5 0-5 0-102000-01Shelbourne 1QR Sloga Jugomagnat 1-1 1-0 2-1 2QR Rosenborg 1-1 1-3 2-42001-02Bohemians1QR Levadia Maardu 3-0 0-0 3-0 2QR Halmstads 1-2 0-2 1-4 2002-03 Shelbourne 1QR Hibernians 0-1 2-2 2-32003-04Bohemians1QR BATE Borisov 3-0 0-1 3-1 2QR Rosenborg 0-1 0-4 0-52004-05Shelbourne1QR KR 0-0 2-2 2-2 (a)2QR Hajduk Split 2-0 2-3 4-3 3QR Deportivo La Coruña 0-0 0-3 0-32005-06Shelbourne1QR Glentoran 4-1 2-1 6-2 2QR Steaua București 0-0 1-4 1-42006-07Cork City1QR Apollon Limassol 1-0 1-1 2-1 2QR Crvena Zvezda 0-1 0-3 0-4 2007-08 Derry City 1QR Pyunik 0-0 0-2 0-22008-09Drogheda United1QR Levadia Tallinn 2-1 1-0 3-1 2QR Dynamo Kyiv 1-2 2-2 3-4 2009-10 Bohemians 2QR Red Bull Salzburg 0-1 1-1 1-2 2010-11 Bohemians 2QR The New Saints 1-0 0-4 1-42011-12Shamrock Rovers2QR Flora 1-0 0-0 1-0 3QR Copenhagen 0-2 0-1 0-3 2012-13 Shamrock Rovers 2QR Ekranas 0-0 1-2 1-2 2013-14 Sligo Rovers 2QR Molde 0-1 0-2 0-3 2014-15 St. Patrick's Athletic 2QR Legia Warsaw 0-5 1-1 1-6 2015-16 Dundalk 2QR BATE Borisov 0-0 1-2 1-22016-17Dundalk2QR FH 1-1 2-2 3-3 (a)3QR BATE Borisov 3-0 0-1 3-1 QPO Legia Warsaw 0-2 1-1 1-3 2017-18 Dundalk 2QR Rosenborg 1-1 1-2 2-3 2018-19 Cork City 1QR Legia Warsaw 0-1 0-3 0-42019-20Dundalk1QR Riga 0-0 0-0 0-0 (5-4 p) 2QR Qarabağ 1-1 0-3 1-4 2020-21 Dundalk 1QR Celje 0-3 0-3 2021-22 Shamrock Rovers 1QR Slovan Bratislava 2-1 0-2 2-32022-23Shamrock Rovers1QR Hibernians 3-0 0-0 3-0 2QR Ludogorets Razgrad 2-1 0-3 2-4 2023-24 Shamrock Rovers 1QR Breiðablik 0-1 1-2 1-32024-25Shamrock Rovers1QR Víkingur Reykjavík 2-1 0-0 2-1 2QR Sparta Prague 0-2 2-4 2-62025-26Shelbourne1QR Linfield 1-0 1-1 2-1 2QR Qarabağ 0-3 0-1 0-42026-27Shamrock Rovers1QR Floriana 5-1 0-2 5-3 2QR Ararat-Armenia 2-1 0-2 2-3
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League