Hammers face Andorra trip in Europa League

?West Ham United's UEFA Europa League adventure will begin with a first qualifying round tie against FC Lusitans of Andorra

West Ham United's UEFA Europa League adventure will begin with a first qualifying round tie against FC Lusitans of Andorra.

Although the Andorrans were drawn first, the initial fixture order has subsequently been reversed by UEFA due to both of the country's representatives in the competition being handed home games on the same week, meaning the Hammers will host Lusitans in the first leg on Thursday 2 July.

They will then travel to Andorra to complete the tie on Thursday 9 July at a venue to be confirmed. Full fixture and ticketing information will follow shortly on whufc.com 

Should the Hammers prevail, they can then look forward to a second qualifying round meeting with either Birkirkara of Malta or Armenian outfit Ulisses.

West Ham are due to play the first leg at home on 16 July, before taking to the skies for the return leg a week later on 23 July.   

Lusitans are based in Andorra la Vella, the capital of the principality. The football club were formed in 1999 and are also known as Lusitanos. The club’s name, crest and kit reflect its Portuguese identity.

Twice league champions in 2011/12 and 2012/13, they booked their place in the UEFA Europa League by finishing as runners-up last year.

This will be their third participation in the Europa League and have lost in the first qualifying round in their previous attempts.

Birkikara is Malta's largest town and the club's Infetti Ground home has a capacity of 2,500. They finished third in the Maltese top flight last term but have been crowned champions on four occasions. Now managed by Italian Giovanni Tedesco, Birkikara lost 6-2 on aggregate to Hungarian side Diosgyor in last season's first qualifying round. 

Ulisses, meanwhile, are based in Yerevan, Armenia's capital. This will be their fourth European appearance, having qualified courtesy of a second-place finish in their domestic league last term. Should the two sides meet, Hammers fans await a trip to the Vazgen Sargsyan Stadium, which holds 14,403.