Gibraltarian football clubs in European competitions

UEFA Champions League

Lincoln Red Imps, having secured their twelfth straight Gibraltar Premier Division title, became the first club from the territory to compete in a UEFA competition when they entered the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. They began in the first qualifying round and were paired with HB Tórshavn, the Faroe Islands champions. On 2 July 2014, they played the first leg at Victoria Stadium, where Joseph Chipolina gave them the lead from the penalty spot, but Levi Hanssen equalised to make it 1–1. In the return leg six days later at Tórsvøllur, HB won 5–2, advancing 6–3 on aggregate.

The following season, Lincoln again represented Gibraltar in the Champions League, drawing FC Santa Coloma, the Andorran champions, in the first qualifying round. The first leg at home on 30 June 2015 ended 0–0. A week later, in the second leg at the Estadi Comunal d’Andorra la Vella, Ildefons Lima put the hosts ahead before halftime, but Lincoln struck back with goals from Anthony Bardon and Lee Casciaro to win 2–1. This victory made them the first Gibraltarian side to reach the second qualifying round, where they lost 3–0 on aggregate to Denmark’s FC Midtjylland.

Lincoln made it three appearances in a row the next season. In the first qualifying round, they faced FC Flora of Estonia. On 28 June at A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Chipolina scored an away goal in a 2–1 defeat. Eight days later in the second leg, a Chipolina penalty and a goal from Antonio Calderón secured a 3–2 aggregate win. In the next round, they met Celtic, the Scottish champions and 1967 European Cup winners. Lincoln won the home leg 1–0 on 12 July, with Casciaro scoring the only goal in the 48th minute, but lost 3–0 at Celtic Park eight days later.

Europa F.C. won the 2016–17 Gibraltar Premier Division, becoming the first club other than Lincoln Red Imps to enter the Champions League. They were drawn against Welsh champions The New Saints in the first qualifying round. Europa won the first leg 2–1 away but were eliminated after losing the home second leg 3–1 in extra time.

For the 2018–19 season, UEFA introduced a new preliminary round, a knockout tournament for the champions of Europe’s four weakest leagues. Hosted at Victoria Stadium, Lincoln defeated San Marino’s La Fiorita but lost the final 4–1 after extra time to Drita of Kosovo.

UEFA Europa League

College Europa, having finished as runners-up to Lincoln in the 2014 Rock Cup, made history as the first club from Gibraltar to compete in the UEFA Europa League. They were eliminated in the first qualifying round, losing 4–0 on aggregate to Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz. The next season, Europa returned as league runners-up and faced Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia, suffering a 9–0 aggregate defeat. The first leg at home ended 6–0, with Karol Mészáros scoring a hat-trick. In their third straight Europa League campaign, Europa finally broke through. Despite a 2–1 away loss in Armenia, they beat Pyunik 3–2 on aggregate to advance for the first time. In the second qualifying round, they lost both legs by a single goal to Sweden's AIK.

For the 2017–18 season, Gibraltar received two Europa League spots. League runners-up Lincoln Red Imps and third-placed debutants St Joseph's entered. Both drew Cypriot opponents in the first qualifying round and lost heavily: Lincoln fell 6–1 to AEK Larnaca, while St Joseph's lost 10–0 to AEL Limassol. The following year, Europa and St Joseph's represented Gibraltar again. Europa was comprehensively beaten by Kosovo's Prishtina in the first qualifying round. St Joseph's, however, forced a 2–2 aggregate draw against the Faroe Islands' B36 Tórshavn before losing on penalties. Lincoln Red Imps, dropping from the Champions League to the second qualifying round, lost 3–2 on aggregate to Welsh champions The New Saints.