On July 9, Pyunik will begin its UEFA Conference League 2026/27 campaign, facing Malta’s Marsaxlokk in the first qualifying round. The first leg of the tie will be played in Malta, while the return match will take place on July 16 at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.

Marsaxlokk FC was founded in 1949 and represents the fishing village of Marsaxlokk, located in the Southern Region of Malta. That is why the team called the “Southseasiders”.

In May 2025, Marsaxlokk unveiled its rebranded club badge. The design was inspired by the traditional Maltese fishing boat the Luzzu, both in shape and colour scheme, combined with the club's old badges.

Throughout its history, Marsaxlokk has won the Maltese championship only once, in the 2006/07 season.

In the previous season of the Maltese Premier League, which is played in several phases, Marsaxlokk came very close to championship. However, in the play-off final, they lost 1:2 to Floriana and finished the season in second place.

The team has been managed since September 2024 by 56-year-old Italian coach Vincenzo Potenza.

Among Marsaxlokk’s key players are 36-year-old Malta national team central defender Enrico Pepe, 29-year-old Argentine midfielder Ulises Arias, and 29-year-old Cameroonian defensive midfielder Joseph Minala. He previously played for Italian club Lazio.

The Maltese club’s squad was recently strengthened by 28-year-old Ukrainian defender Oleksiy Bykov and experienced 29-year-old Brazilian forward Matheus Silva.

The team’s main goalkeeper is 32-year-old Christoffer Mafoumbi, who has made 37 appearances for the Congo national team. By the way, Mafoumbi spent the first part of the 2023/24 season at FC Noah Yerevan and played 9 matches in the Armenian Premier League.

The Maltese side will participate in European competitions for the sixth time. In their previous five appearances, the team was eliminated in the first qualifying rounds. Marsaxlokk’s most recent European campaign came two years ago, in the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League season, where they were defeated by Albanian club Partizani on aggregate (1:1, 1:2).

Let's added that Marsaxlokk will become the first Maltese club that Pyunik will face in European competitions.