Ventspils lost 1-0 to Newcastle over two legs in the Uefa Cup last year.

The Saints, who lost to Finland's MyPa-47 at the first hurdle last year, will face Austrians FC Salzburg if they advance from the two-leg first round.

In the Uefa Cup first qualifying round, Rhyl will play against Haka of Finland while Carmarthen Town will face Norwegian side Brann.

The Saints will play the first, home leg at Newtown's Latham Park, with the return in Ventspils, a city in north-western Latvia on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Welsh Cup winners Carmarthen will also have home advantage in the first leg.

Rhyl were originally drawn to play the first leg away in Bergen on Norway's south-western coast to face Brann, but the fixtures have now been reversed.

The two-legged Uefa Cup ties will be played on 19 July and 2 August, with the Saints in action in the Champions League on 17 and 25 July.

Saints manager Ken McKenna had hoped to face a team who, like them, are in pre-season training.

But Ventspils, who were founded only 10 years ago, are already halfway through their domestic season, currently fourth in the Virsliga with seven wins from 14 games.

Rhyl and Carmarthen face a similar disadvantage as Haka and Brann are also well into their league campaigns.

Haka beat Bangor City 3-0 on aggregate in the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, with West Ham striker Marlon Harewood playing in both legs for the Finish side.

The second round draw will be made on 3 August.

Rhyl lost to Suduva of Lithuania last season, while Carmarthen lost heavily to Finland's Tampere United in the first round of the Intertoto Cup.