Heart of Midlothian’s path through Champions League qualifying has begun to take shape, with potential opponents identified for the third round depending on their performance against Sturm Graz. Should the Edinburgh club progress past the Austrian side, they would meet either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabrze, both of whom finished as runners-up in their domestic leagues last season in Turkey and Poland respectively.
The third round qualifying ties are scheduled for 4/5 and 11/12 August. Hearts’ participation in this stage represents a significant milestone for the club, as their last appearance in Champions League qualifying came in 2006-07, when they were eliminated at the same round by AEK Athens.
If Hearts fail to overcome Sturm Graz, they would drop into the Europa League, where they could potentially face St Gallen or Benfica, Twente or Ferencvaros, or Qarabag or CSKA Sofia depending on other results.
Scottish football will have multiple representatives competing for European qualification. Rangers, who are seeded in their competition, face potential matchups against Hammarby or Anderlecht, Hajduk Split or Pafos, Tromso or Hradec Kralove, or Jagellonia Bialystok in their third round draw. Motherwell will compete in the Conference League against HB of the Faroe Islands, with various continental opponents standing as potential obstacles to progression. Hibernian will take on FK Malisheva of Kosovo in their Conference League match, with teams from across Europe potentially awaiting them should they advance.