After Northern Ireland dropped outside of the top 50 of Uefa's coefficient ranking, the Irish League's European hopes rest with Larne. The coefficient determines how many spots each association gets, and poor European performances have hampered Northern Ireland, risking the loss of one of four European places by 2028.

The league winners retain a Champions League qualifying spot, and the Irish Cup winner qualifies for Europe. NIFL chief executive Gerard Lawlor said he was "very worried" and that clubs would need to be consulted on options if a place is lost. However, if Larne can qualify for the league phase of the Conference League, as they famously did in 2024, they could earn bonus points that boost the coefficient.

Manager Gary Haveron does not see it as extra pressure: "Is it extra responsibility? No, I don't feel like it is. We will go out and try our absolute damnedest, but I would say that about any game that Larne play in."