Ilves only got a late upgrade from the UEFA Conference League (UECL) qualifiers when the UEL place for the UECL champions was left vacant by winners Chelsea and runners-up Real Betis, who had already qualified for Europe through their domestic campaigns.
The Tampere side, who finished second in the Veikkausliiga in 2024, were one of the lowest-ranked of the unseeded sides in Tuesday's draw and were therefore likely to face a side with plenty of European pedigree.
As it turned out, they drew Shakhtar, who are the club with the highest UEFA Coefficient ranking in both the First and Second Qualifying Rounds.
The first leg will be hosted by the Ukrainian club on 10th July, likely to be at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, their designated European home venue in recent seasons.
The second leg will be hosted by Ilves on 17th July. The winners will progress to the Second Qualifying Round, which begins a week later.
Last year, Ilves were knocked out by eventual semi-finalists Djurgarden in the UECL qualifiers. This will be their ninth season in Europe, though they have not played in any competition proper since 1991.
Follow the UEL Qualifiers on Flashscore.
Trip to Moldova for the champions
KuPS will play Milsami Orhei for the second time in their history, three years on from a 6-3 aggregate win in the Second Qualifying Round of the UECL.
This time, however, they will meet in the UCL, as both won their domestic leagues last time out to end the respective dominances of HJK and Sheriff.
KuPS were beaten 5-0 by Molde of Norway in their only previous UCL qualifying match, five years ago. Their three previous ventures in the old European Cup did not see them make it past the first round.
But given their history against the Moldovans, they will be confident of progressing from a top-tier European tie for the very first time.
The first leg will be hosted by seeded side KuPS on 8th or 9th July, before the second leg will be played in Orhei on 15th or 16th July.
The winners are guaranteed to be unseeded for the Second Qualifying Round, where the likes of Copenhagen, Red Star and Dynamo Kyiv enter the competition.
Follow the UCL Qualifiers on Flashscore.
Finland vs Faroes twice in UECL
Finally, their will be two meetings of clubs from Finland and the Faroe Islands in the First Qualifying Round of the UECL.
SJK, who are back in the UECL for the first time in three years, will first play hosts to Klaksvik, who reached the Group Stage two seasons ago before being beaten by HJK in the Playoff Round a year ago.
HJK went on to finish 30th in the UECL League Phase in 2024/25, and this time they will travel to the Faroes for their first leg against NSI, who are back in European competition after a four-year absence.
The first legs will be played on 10th July, with the second legs on 17th July.
Follow the UECL Qualifiers on Flashscore.