HNK Rijeka has learned its opponents in the UEFA Conference League for the 2025/26 season following their elimination from the Europa League playoff against PAOK.

Rijeka’s group in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League was determined at the draw held at UEFA headquarters. Rijeka will host Prague’s Sparta, Slovenian Celje, and Cypriot AEK Larnaca. They will play away matches against Ukraine’s Shakhtar, Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps, and Armenia’s Noah.

The match schedule will be announced no later than Sunday, August 31, with the group’s opening match set for October 2, 2025. Other matchdays are October 23, November 6, November 27, December 11, and December 18, 2025. Matches will start at 16:30, 18:45, or 21:00 Central European Time.

The top eight teams after six rounds of the league phase will qualify directly for the Round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will contest additional playoffs for a place in the Round of 16. These playoffs will take place on February 19 and 26, 2026. The Round of 16 matches are scheduled for March 12 and 19; the quarterfinals are on April 9 and 16; and the semifinals are on April 30 and May 7. The Conference League final for the 2025/26 season will be held on May 27 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.

For Rijeka’s players, this will be their first appearance in the Conference League, while in recent years they have played four times in the UEFA Europa League group stages. Their last participation in that competition was in the 2020/2021 season.

Overall, Rijeka’s opponents in this group are not among Europe’s elite, which shows that the Conference League is considered the third tier of European competitions and offers comparatively less formidable opponents than Dinamo or the Champions League. Nevertheless, this is an essential opportunity for Rijeka to continue its European campaigns and deliver strong performances on the international stage.