Irish League clubs and Derry City learn Europa League opponents

Coleraine's reward for winning the Irish Cup is a tie against Serbian opponents Spartak Subotica

Irish League clubs Coleraine, Glenavon and Cliftonville, plus Derry City, have learned their opponents for the first qualifying round of the Europa League.

Coleraine are away to FK Spartak Subotica of Serbia in the first leg of their tie on 12 July, with the return at Ballycastle Road on 19 July.

Derry City host Dinamo Minsk of Belarus in their first leg, while Glenavon are at home to Molde FK of Norway.

Cliftonville entertain FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark in their first leg.

Glenavon's opponents are managed by former Manchester United and Norway striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Lurgan Blues failed to qualify for the Europa League last season but progressed to this year's competition by virtue of their third-place finish in the Irish Premiership.

The first leg of Glenavon's tie will be played on Wednesday 11 July at Mourneview Park, with the other three first-leg games taking place the following day.

Irish Cup winners Coleraine also finished runners-up in the league and will hope to improve on their showing in Europe last year, when they went out 7-0 on aggregate to Norwegian side FK Haugesund.

Cliftonville are back in European competition after a year's absence, having qualified by defeating Glentoran 3-2 in the Europa League play-off final in May.

Derry City lost 10-2 on aggregate to Danish outfit FC Midtjylland in the first qualifying round 12 months ago.

A place in the Europa League qualifying rounds is estimated to be worth at least 240,000 euro to each of the clubs involved.

If Cliftonville were to make it to the second qualifying round, they would face either League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers or AIK of Greece, while Sparta Praha of the Czech Republic await the winners of Coleraine's tie.

Glenavon or Molde will take on Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus or Laci of Albania in qualifying round two, with Derry or Dinamo Minsk to play either Dunajska Streda of Slovakia or Georgian outfit Dinamo Tbilisi.