As well as any potential financial windfall, European football offers Irish clubs the chance to measure progress at an international level, according to RTÉ soccer analyst Paul Corry.
Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Dundalk and St Patrick's Athletic all fly the European flag, with Rovers first up in their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Breidablik of Iceland (live coverage on RTÉ2).
In the Europa Conference League first qualifying round, Dundalk take on Bruno’s Magpies of Gibraltar, Pat’s have Luxembourg opposition in the form of F91 Diddeleng, while the Candystripes face against Faroese side Havnar Boltfelag.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Paul Corry says the upcoming two-legged ties will be something of a litmus test regarding the standard of Irish football.
"It serves as a benchmark of progression for the clubs, and people’s eyes will be fixed on how many sides can get through rounds, whether or not Shamrock Rovers can make the group stages again, but more importantly, financially the opportunities are massive," he said.
"By winning the first round in the Champions League last year, they were guaranteed a sum of €1.4m. Their Conference League group stage pocketed them €3.3m."
The former Shamrock Rovers player is hopeful that his former team can overcome some indifferent form to make their mark in the European competition.
Breidablik won a league title for the second time in their history last season and are currently third in the Icelandic top-flight, with seven wins from their opening 13 games, 13 points off leaders Víkingur Reykjavik.
With Lee Grace, Alan Mannus and Gary O'Neill all back in contention, Corry believes the Hoops should have enough to progress.
"They (Rovers) haven’t hit the same sort of heights as last year," he said.
"I fully expect Breidablik to sit deep, slow the game down and try to frustrate. If Rovers remain patient, stick to the possession-style play that Stephen Bradley likes to implement, as the game progresses, I think they will have enough quality in the final third to break down the Icelandic side.
"I think they will get through over the two legs. Any sort of win tonight will be a positive result."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Watch Shamrock Rovers v Breidablik on Tuesday night from 7.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player or follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
