Heart of Midlothian faces a potential matchup against either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabrze in the Champions League qualifiers, provided they successfully navigate their tie against Sturm Graz. These third-round fixtures are penciled in for August 4 and 11. Should the Edinburgh side fall to the Austrians, they will move into the Europa League, where they would face one of several pairings: St Gallen against Benfica, Twente against Ferencvaros, or Qarabag against CSKA Sofia. This appearance marks a return for the Tynecastle club, which has not competed in Champions League qualifying since their 2006-07 defeat to AEK Athens.
Other Scottish teams are also bracing for their respective European draws. Rangers, entering as a seeded team, are set to face winners from matches involving Hammarby/Anderlecht, Hajduk Split/Pafos, Tromso/Hradec Kralove, or Jagellonia Bialystok. In the Conference League, Motherwell must first overcome HB from the Faroe Islands to set up a potential clash with opponents including LNZ Cherkasy/Gent, Besiktas/FC Midtjylland, HJK Helsinki/Coleraine, Twente/Ferencvaros, or RFS/Vestri. Lastly, Hibernian begins their campaign against Kosovo’s FK Malisheva, with subsequent potential matchups against teams like NK Bravo/KF Shkendija, FC Santa Coloma/SK Rapid, Rakow/Valetta, NK Rijeka/Derry City, or FC Polissya/FC Copenhagen.
