City will enter the UEFA Cup at the first qualifying round stage after confirmation they have pipped Fulham to the coveted Fair Play prize.

"It is a step in the right direction because the target for this club in the future is to play in the Champions League," Eriksson told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk. "It is a confirmation that we are a good team and a real bonus for us."

He added: "The UEFA Cup is a very good school to learn about European football.

"At one point we were almost sure to get into Europe, at other points we have been almost out of it so this is like the dream that came true."

City will learn their first opponents on June 30 but bizarrely may have to play the home leg in Yorkshire as Eastlands is unavailable.

The pitch is being relaid after a Bon Jovi concert and with Old Trafford ruled out for obvious reasons and most Lancashire grounds either relaying their surfaces or deemed unsuitable, Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, which usually plays host to rugby league in the summer, has been mentioned as a possible alternative.

Having already been placed in the Northern section of a regional draw, City will tackle opposition from Estonia, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Lithuania or Luxembourg or opposition closer to home in the form of two Northern Irish representatives Glentoran and Cliftonville, two from the Republic in Cork City and current league leaders St Patrick's Athletic, as well as Bangor from Wales.

There is also the possibility of a rematch with Wales' other representatives The New Saints who as Total Network Solutions, faced City when they last got into the UEFA Cup by the same route in 2003.

By the time the draw is made, City's managerial situation should become clearer, with Thaksin due to complete his controversial review, on which Eriksson's future job prospects hang.