Hearts will discover their opponents for the 2026-27 UEFA Conference League when the league phase draw takes place on Friday, with BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team setting out what supporters need to know about the format, seeding and fixture schedule ahead of the club’s European campaign.
What is the Conference League league phase format?
Since UEFA overhauled its European competitions, the Conference League has used a single league phase rather than traditional groups. Clubs are drawn into a shared table and play a set number of matches against different opponents, drawn from separate seeding pots to ensure a spread of geography and strength. Results across all these fixtures determine who advances directly to the knockout rounds and who must navigate a play-off before the last 16.
For a club like Hearts, this means facing a varied mix of sides from across the continent rather than a small, fixed group, with league standing after the phase dictating the difficulty of their route through the rest of the tournament.
How does the draw affect Hearts’ European campaign?
The Edinburgh club’s position in the seeding pots will heavily influence the calibre and location of the teams they face, shaping both the difficulty of matches and the amount of travel involved. A favourable draw could pit Hearts against sides of similar or lesser continental pedigree, boosting their chances of finishing high enough in the league phase to progress automatically.
Friday’s draw will lay out exactly who Hearts play, when, and what is required to advance, the BBC’s football team explained.
What comes next for Hearts fans?
Attention now turns to the draw itself, after which fixture dates, kick-off times and ticketing details are expected to follow in the coming weeks. Hearts’ participation continues the club’s recent run of involvement in UEFA’s third-tier club competition, giving supporters a fresh look at continental opposition once the pairings are confirmed.
