Ararat-Armenia’s difficult route: Riga, a possible Shamrock Rovers tie and a chance in the Conference League

Ararat-Armenia have learned their potential opponents at the start of the 2026/27 European season. The Armenian champions will begin their campaign in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, where they will face Latvia’s Riga.

The draw turned out to be very difficult for the Armenian club. Riga look like one of the strongest opponents Ararat-Armenia could have faced at this stage. Moreover, their possible opponent in the second round of the Champions League is already known, as well as the route in the Conference League if they lose to the Latvian club.

Riga — a serious opponent already in the first round

Ararat-Armenia’s opponent in the first qualifying round of the Champions League will be Riga from Latvia.

The Latvian league is played in a spring-autumn format, so Riga are currently in full match rhythm. The team have already played 17 rounds and sit second with 42 points. At the same time, Riga have suffered only one league defeat.

Last season, Riga became Latvian champions, and this season they are once again fighting for first place. This makes the opponent especially dangerous: the Latvian team are already in form and are in the middle of their season, while Ararat-Armenia are only preparing for the new football year.

Riga’s total squad market value is €13.7 million. That is roughly twice as much as Ararat-Armenia’s. The Latvian club have 17 foreign players in their squad, while 12 players have been called up to their national teams: seven to Latvia, two to Costa Rica, and one each to Gambia, Colombia and Tunisia.

Riga’s most valuable players

The top five most valuable players of the Latvian club are:

Abner, centre-back, Brazil — €1 million,
Reginaldo Ramires, centre-forward, Brazil — €900,000,
Orlando Galo, central midfielder, Costa Rica — €800,000,
Caio, right winger, Brazil — €800,000,
Ahmed Ankrah, central midfielder, Ghana — €750,000.

The team’s top scorer this season is Mohamad Badamosi, who has scored 12 goals.

Riga have not made any transfers so far in the summer of 2026, so at the moment the team are approaching the European campaign without major changes to the squad.

Riga’s European experience

Riga’s best result in European competitions is reaching the Europa League qualifying play-off round in the 2019/20 season.

Last European season, the Latvian club were also close to a serious achievement. In the Conference League, Riga passed two rounds and stopped only in the qualifying play-offs.

Riga’s route in the 2025/26 European season:

Conference League second round: Dila — 2-1, 3-3, 5-4 on aggregate,
Conference League third round: Beitar — 3-0, 1-3, 4-3 on aggregate,
Conference League play-off: Sparta Prague — 1-0, 0-2, 1-2 on aggregate.

The tie against Sparta is especially revealing. Riga managed to beat the Prague club in the first match but lost over two legs. This shows that the Latvian team are capable of competing with opponents from a higher level. Ararat-Armenia also played against Sparta last season and lost twice, 1-2 and 1-4, although they looked decent in terms of performance.

For Ararat-Armenia, this will be a difficult tie right from the start. Riga have match practice, an expensive squad, a large number of foreign players and recent European experience.

Who could await Ararat-Armenia in the second round of the Champions League

If Ararat-Armenia get past Riga, they will face the winner of the Shamrock Rovers — Floriana tie in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

The main favourite in that tie appears to be Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers. They are a solid European side who regularly compete on the international stage. If Malta’s Floriana go through, that would be a more convenient option for the winner of the Ararat-Armenia — Riga tie. However, Shamrock Rovers should still be considered the most likely opponent.

The Irish league is also ongoing. Shamrock Rovers are in first place with 40 points after 21 rounds.

The Irish club’s total squad market value is €6.45 million. That is roughly comparable to Ararat-Armenia’s squad value. The team have only five foreign players, but nine players have been called up to national teams: seven to Ireland, one to Wales and one to Cape Verde.

This refers to Ricardo Lopes, who is currently playing at the 2026 World Cup and may miss the European matches.

Shamrock Rovers’ most valuable players

The top five most valuable players of the Irish club are:

Matthew Healy, central midfielder, Ireland — €500,000,
Michael Noonan, centre-forward, Ireland — €450,000,
Jack Byrne, central midfielder, Ireland — €400,000,
Victor Ozhianvuna, attacking midfielder, Ireland/Russia — €350,000,
John McGovern, centre-forward, Northern Ireland — €325,000.

The team’s top scorer this season is Graham Burke. He has scored 10 goals in 29 matches.

Shamrock Rovers have not signed anyone so far in the summer of 2026, but they have already lost an important player. Victor Ozhianvuna is leaving the team and moving to London’s Arsenal for €2 million. In the first part of the season, he was one of the key players for the Irish club, so his departure could affect the team.

Shamrock Rovers’ European experience

Shamrock Rovers’ best result in European competitions is the Europa League group stage in the 2011/12 season.

Last season, the Irish club also came through Conference League qualifying and reached the league phase.

Shamrock Rovers’ route in the 2025/26 European season:

Conference League second round: St Joseph’s — 0-0, 4-0, 4-0 on aggregate,
Conference League third round: Ballkani — 4-0, 0-1, 4-1 on aggregate,
Conference League play-off: Santa Clara — 0-0, 2-1, 2-1 on aggregate.

After that, Shamrock Rovers played in the league phase of the Conference League, where they earned one win, one draw and finished 31st.

The Irish team do not look unbeatable, but they are an experienced opponent who know how to play in European competitions. At the same time, in terms of squad value, Shamrock Rovers are roughly on the same level as Ararat-Armenia, unlike Riga, who are clearly ahead of the Armenian club in this regard.

What happens if Ararat-Armenia lose to Riga

Ararat-Armenia already know their possible opponent in the second qualifying round of the Conference League if they lose to Riga. The Armenian club will face the loser of the Vardar — KuPS tie.

Vardar’s elimination looks more likely, as Finland’s KuPS should currently be considered the favourite in that tie. In that case, Ararat-Armenia could face the North Macedonian club.

Vardar are experiencing a revival after several years of crisis, but this is still a very inexperienced team. For Tulipa’s side, such an opponent would look like a fairly manageable option in the Conference League.

Of course, Ararat-Armenia’s main goal is to get past Riga and continue their fight in the Champions League. But even in case of failure, the Armenian champions may still have a fairly good chance to continue their European campaign.

What condition are Ararat-Armenia in

Ararat-Armenia approach the new season after a championship-winning year. The entire coaching staff has stayed at the club, which can be considered an important advantage. The team have preserved their structure and manageability, but changes have already taken place in the squad.

The club have lost starting centre-back Joao Queiros, left-back Hakob Hakobyan and central midfielder Welton. New transfers are still possible, as are further departures, but there is no official information about that at the moment.

Ararat-Armenia’s total market value currently stands at €6.47 million. That is roughly the same as Shamrock Rovers, but almost twice less than Riga.

Eight players in the Armenian club’s squad have been called up to the Armenia national team. One player has also been called up to the Kenya national team, and another to the Burkina Faso national team.

Conclusion

The draw turned out to be difficult for Ararat-Armenia. Already in the first round of the Champions League, the Armenian champions have been drawn against Riga — a team with a more expensive squad, many foreign players, good current form and recent European experience.

If Ararat-Armenia get past the Latvian club, then they will most likely face Shamrock Rovers — an experienced opponent, but one that is more comparable in level and squad value. Reaching the second round of the Champions League is very important, because after that, in case of elimination from the Champions League, the team would drop into the Europa League rather than the Conference League.

If they lose to Riga, the route will continue in the Conference League, where Vardar could be a potential opponent. That option would look more convenient, but for the Armenian champions, the main challenge remains the first round of the Champions League.

Ararat-Armenia have received a difficult but interesting European route. Tulipa’s team will immediately face a serious test, and the matches against Riga will show how ready the Armenian champions are for the new international season.

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