North or South?

HJK Helsinki are a Finnish club based in the capital city of Helsinki, the country’s largest and most important economic centre with a population of over 660,000. Founded in 1907 and playing their home matches at the Bolt Arena (capacity 10,000+), HJK are by far the most successful club in Finnish football history, boasting 33 league titles and 15 Finnish Cup triumphs, most recently in 2025.

They remain the only Finnish club to have reached the UEFA Champions League group stage, achieving the feat in the 1998/99 season. Last year’s Finnish Cup triumph also secured their place in this season’s UEFA Youth League.

HJK featured in the competition last year and, like the Šošoni, claimed a notable scalp, eliminating Manchester City on home ground. They had previously knocked out Trabzonspor and Gent, underlining why the Finnish champions could be a very tricky opponent. First, however, they must get through their Round 1 tie.

The alternative opponent is FC Ballkani from Suva Reka (Theranda) in southern Kosovo. The club was founded in 1947 under the name Rinia and adopted the name Ballkani in 1965. Their senior side has become one of Kosovo’s most successful clubs in recent years, winning three consecutive league titles between 2021/22 and 2023/24.

In 2022, Ballkani made history as the first Kosovan club to reach the group stage of the UEFA Conference League. Due to the limited capacity of their home stadium in Suva Reka (1,500 spectators), they hosted European fixtures in Pristina instead.

Ballkani’s U19 side qualified for this season’s UEFA Youth League as champions of Kosovo, progressing through the same Domestic Champions Path as the Šošoni.

The first leg of the second-round tie will be played away from home on 28 October, with the return leg taking place a week later at the Stadium under the Dubeň hill. Should the Šošoni progress, their third-round opponent would come from one of the following clubs: FC Una Strassen (Luxembourg), Cardiff Met FC (Wales) or Stabæk Football (Norway).

UEFA Youth League Schedule

Domestic Champions Path

• Draw: 1 September
• Round 1, first leg: 16 September
• Round 1, second leg: 14 October
• Round 2, first leg: 28 October
• Round 2, second leg: 4 November
• Round 3, first leg: 25 November
• Round 3, second leg: 9 December

Knockout Stage

• Play-off draw: 11 December
• Play-offs: 2/3 February 2027
• Round of 32 onwards draw: 5 February 2027
• Round of 32: 23/24 February 2027
• Quarter-finals: 16/17 March 2027
• Semi-finals: 16 April 2027
• Final: 19 April 2027