The following year, after knocking out Finn Harps of Ireland, Aberdeen were drawn against English opposition for the first time in European competition.

A 0–0 draw away in the Belgian capital set the Dons up for the return leg at Pittodrie, however Drew Jarvie's goal could not prevent Aberdeen losing 2–1, knocking them out of Europe.

Ferguson's team lost to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the second round, losing the first leg 0–3 in West Germany but winning 2–0 in Aberdeen.

In the 1979–80 season, Aberdeen once again failed to progress past the first round of the UEFA Cup, losing 1–2 on aggregate to West German club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Seven minutes later, a back pass by Alex McLeish left the opposition forward one-on-one with goalkeeper Jim Leighton.

In the 1984–85 European Cup, Aberdeen lost in the first round to East German champions BFC Dynamo on penalties after a 3–3 aggregate draw.

The following year, Aberdeen lost again at the first round stage of the UEFA Cup, this time against Austrian club Rapid Wien on the away goals rule.

In 1991, Alex Smith's Aberdeen were beaten home and away by Danish club BK 1903 in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

Following a 4–1 win in Lithuania against Žalgiris Vilnius, Aberdeen set a new record for the heaviest home European defeat in the second leg at Pittodrie by losing 1–3.

A single Darren Mackie goal was enough to see Aberdeen eliminate Moldovan club Nistru Otaci in the qualifying round.

The tie itself remained goalless until the last minute of the second leg, where Michael Preetz scored what proved to be the winning goal for Hertha.

Former Birmingham City player and Dunfermline Athletic manager Jimmy Calderwood took over from Steve Paterson in 2004; he had to wait three years, however, before he tasted European action at Aberdeen.

[17] In the second leg, Aberdeen took the lead midway through the second half when Darren Mackie headed home a Richard Foster cross.

Aberdeen opened the scoring in the first leg at Pittodrie when on-loan midfielder Josh Walker curled a shot from outside the box and beat goalkeeper Michael Rensing.

Aberdeen then re-took the lead when another on-loan midfielder, Sone Aluko, flicked the ball over the defender Lúcio and hit a volley which beat Rensing again.

Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield saved the resulting penalty, however the ball rebounded back to Hamit Altıntop, who scored.

Under new manager Mark McGhee, Aberdeen were drawn against Czech team Sigma Olomouc in the qualifying rounds.

Until Derek McInnes became manager, this was a period when the club struggled in domestic football, specifically under Mark McGhee before an era of stabilisation under Craig Brown.

In July 2014, they comfortably won 8–0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round against Daugava, Irish striker Adam Rooney amongst the goalscorers.

In the second qualifying round against Groningen, after a 0–0 draw at Pittodrie they won 2–1 away from home thanks to goals from Rooney and Niall McGinn.

[27] They then fell to Spanish club Real Sociedad in the third qualifying round by an aggregate score of 5–2; despite brave performances at the Anoeta Stadium (0–2) and at Pittodrie (2–3), the Dons lost both legs and exited the Europa League for another season.

Both Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes and the then Real Sociedad coach Jagoba Arrasate paid tribute to the players' efforts in both ties.

In a tight first leg at Pittodrie, two late goals were scored as the experienced Milivoje Novaković put the Slovenian outfit in front before Jonny Hayes gave Aberdeen hope going to Slovenia.

Aberdeen's night then deteriorated further as Graeme Shinnie scored a late own goal that bobbled over Joe Lewis' foot, confirming elimination at the same stage for a third year in succession.

[31] Aberdeen qualified for the Europa League for the fourth time in a row with another second-place finish in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership.

As the top Scottish seeds in the tournament, the first qualifying stage was bypassed; in the second round Široki Brijeg were defeated thanks to an away win in Bosnia[32] to set up a tie with Apollon Limassol from Cyprus.

Despite winning the first leg at home, a 2–0 defeat in the return meant the end of European interest at the same stage for another season.

In the second qualifying round they then took on Georgian side Chikhura Sachkhere, after a 1-1 draw in Georgia, the Dons went on to win 5-0 at Pittodrie.

The third qualifying round saw Aberdeen take on HNK Rijeka, two 2-0 losses saw the Scottish side knocked out of the competition, 4-0 on aggregate.

Aberdeen defeated NSÍ Runavík 6-0 at home, seeing them proceed to the second qualifying round to take on Viking FK in Norway.