Champions Birkirkara and runners-up Sliema Wanderers will face each other in the opening match of the Euro Challenge Cup next Monday.

Hibernians, the other team in the competition, will be in action on Wednesday 5 July, facing the losers of the opening match. The final match will be played on Friday 7 July with Hibernians meeting the winners of the first match.

All the three matches will be played at Ta' Qali national Stadium. Those on Monday and Friday will kick off at 8pm. The match on Wednesday will have a 6pm kick-off in view of the World Cup semi-final at 9pm.

This competition is played at this time of the year to give some match practice to the three clubs representing the country in the European club competitions - Birkirkara in the Champions League, Sliema and Hibernians in the UEFA Cup.