What awaits Hearts if they progress in UEFA Conference League: Possible opponents, how draw works & dates

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A huge European night takes place in Gorgie on Thursday

Progress to the UEFA Conference League’s knockout round play-off awaits Hearts if they beat the Moldovan champions Petrocub at Tynecastle Park on Thursday. A seismic occasion is in prospect at the famous old ground with a passionate crowd eager to see Hearts extend a European run beyond Christmas for the first time since that famous Bayern Munich tie in 1989.

The team’s form is unpredictable right now and, with one tie left in this phase of the Conference League, tension will be high come kick-off on Thursday. Sunday’s defeat at Kilmarnock was embarrassing given the home side played with 10 men from the fifth minute. Switching attention to Europe, allied to the comforts of home, offers a chance for some redemption.

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A win for Pot 4 Hearts against Pot 5 Petrocub would take the Edinburgh club into uncharted territory in this competition. A draw would see them finish on seven points and could still be enough to progress, but a win is the stated aim to eliminate doubt.

When is the draw?

UEFA will hold the draw for the Conference League’s knockout round play-off this Friday, 20 December, in Nyon, Switzerland. Proceedings are due to begin at 12pm UK time.

How does the draw work?

Final positions in the Conference League table determine everything. Clubs finishing in the top eight bypass the play-off stage and go directly into the last 16. Those in ninth to 24th position take part in the two-legged play-offs. Teams finishing below 24th are eliminated from the competition altogether.

Clubs ninth to 16th in the table are seeded for the knockout play-off round. They will be drawn against a club placed 17th to 24th. The seeded team will play the second leg at home unless there are exceptional circumstances dictating otherwise.

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Potential opponents are partly preordained with teams paired together based on their final Conference League placings. The clubs in ninth and 10th position will be drawn against either the 23rd or 24th-placed team. The clubs in 11th and 12th place will be drawn against either the 21st or 22nd-placed sides, and so on.

UEFA employ a bracket system from this stage of the tournament onwards, so there are two different sides to the draw. It is a similar process to that used in World Cups and European Championships.

The eight clubs that prevail in the knockout phase play-offs progress to the round of 16.

What would this mean for Hearts?

Hearts are currently 23rd in the table ahead of Petrocub’s arrival. So, as things stand, they would be unseeded and would be at home in the first leg. They would be drawn against either the club in ninth or 10th place. At the moment, those positions are occupied by Rapid Vienna of Austria and APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus respectively. This is only an example, however, as positions are likely to change once all the ties are completed on Thursday.

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There is still an outside chance that Hearts could beat Petrocub to achieve a seeded place, depending on other results. Among the other teams Hearts could possibly meet in the draw should they get through are Real Betis of Spain, Olimpija Ljubljana from Slovenia, Swedish side Djurgarden and Gent of Belgium.

How to watch the draw

The draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com.

When does the knockout play-off round take place?

The two-legged ties are due to be staged on 13 and 20 February, 2025.

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