Only Three European Countries Left Without Clubs in the Main Stage of UEFA Competitions

Football history in Europe has been rewritten: for the first time, a club from Malta has reached the group stage of a UEFA competition. Now, only three countries remain whose teams have never played in the main stage of UEFA tournaments: Montenegro, Andorra, and San Marino.

On August 28, 2025, the champion of Malta, Ħamrun Spartans, made history by eliminating Latvian club RFS with an aggregate score of 3–2. This victory allowed the Maltese team to reach the main stage of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time ever.

For Maltese football, this event is akin to a national celebration: the small country of less than half a million people will finally see its club compete on the European stage against teams from top leagues.

Which European countries have never played in the main stage of UEFA competitions?

After the success of Ħamrun Spartans, the list of “outsider” countries has shrunk to just three:

• Montenegro

• Andorra

• San Marino

Clubs from these countries have so far never made it to the main stage of UEFA tournaments, stopping at the qualification rounds.

Historical Parallels

In 2021, Armenia’s Alashkert became the first club from the country to reach a group stage.

Interestingly, in 2022, Alashkert was eliminated by none other than Ħamrun Spartans (2–4) in the qualification stage.

Georgia, on the other hand, has long awaited its return to the European stage: the last time its club reached the group stage was back in the 2004/05 season, when Dinamo Tbilisi qualified for the UEFA Cup.

All participants of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League: complete list of clubs.