Hearts will play in Champions League qualifying for the first time in 20 years after finishing runners-up in the Scottish Premiership. They were drawn against Sturm Graz of Austria in the second qualifying round, according to BBC Sport. The Austrian club will host the first leg on July 21 or 22, with the second leg the following midweek.
Hearts finished second in the Premiership after a final-day defeat by Celtic, who retained the title. Sturm Graz also finished as runners-up in their domestic league, ending two points behind LASK after the Austrian championship round.
The tie comes at a complicated moment for Hearts. Head coach Derek McInnes is expected to leave for Rangers, and the Edinburgh club is working to name a replacement before the first leg is played. By the time Hearts step onto the pitch in Austria, they will likely be playing under a new manager.
Sturm Graz have recent experience in European competition. They beat Rangers 2-1 at home last season before losing by the same score at Celtic. They also lost 6-2 on aggregate to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League play-off round. They finished the 2025-26 Austrian regular season top by a point before falling behind LASK in the championship round.
If Hearts beat Sturm Graz, they advance but will be unseeded in the next round, where they could face Lyon, Bodo/Glimt, Olympiacos, or the winner of Fenerbahce versus Gornik Zabrze. If Hearts lose, they drop into the Europa League third qualifying round, where they would be unseeded in the same section of the draw as seeded Rangers.
Motherwell and Hibernian also learned their Conference League opponents. Motherwell, who finished fourth in the Premiership, were drawn against Havnar Boltfelag of the Faroe Islands. Their first leg is at home on July 23. Hibernian, who finished fifth, will face the winner of a first-round tie between Vllaznia of Albania and Malisheva of Kosovo, with the first leg away from home on July 23 as well, followed by the second leg July 30.
Motherwell enter the tie without a permanent manager. Jens Berthel Askou left the club for Toulouse, and a replacement has not yet been named. Havnar Boltfelag finished as runners-up in the Faroe Islands Premier League last season but currently sit sixth in the 2026 table after 13 games. They have lost in the opening round of Conference League qualifying in each of the past four seasons.
Hibs will not know their exact opponent until the first qualifying round is settled. Vllaznia finished third in Albania's Kategoria Superiore, six points behind three-time champions Egnatia. Malisheva were runners-up in the Kosovo Superleague. Both clubs lost to Vikingur of Iceland in the first qualifying round last season.
