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Larne's Europa League qualifier could be delayed
Larne's Europa League tie 'scheduled to go ahead'
Gary Haveron's Larne are set to host FC Iberia 1999 of Georgia at Inver Park on Tuesday
- Published3 August 2026
Larne have said their Europa League qualifier at Inver Park with FC Iberia 1999 on Tuesday night is set to go ahead as scheduled despite their visitor's travel complications.
The Georgian team could not land in Northern Ireland on Monday due to paperwork issues with their chartered flight, sparking concerns the game would be delayed.
Some of FC Iberia 1999's players and staff are now not expected to arrive for the first leg of the third qualifying round tie until Tuesday afternoon, with kick-off scheduled in Larne at 20:00 BST.
Uefa regulations state that teams must arrive in a country for a match no fewer than 24 hours before kick-off, but Larne have posted on X that the game is "scheduled to go ahead as planned".
The second leg will take place in Tbilisi on 11 August at 17:00 BST.
The winner of the tie will face Scottish Premiership side Rangers or Jagellonia Bialystock of Poland in the next round.
The loser will drop into the play-off round of the Uefa Conference League.
Larne became the first Irish Premiership side to qualify for the league phase of a European competition in 2024 when they reached the Uefa Conference League.