Hibs face trip to Andorra or Faroes in Europa Conference League draw

Easter Road side faces second trip to either Andorra or the Faroes

Hibs face a trip to either the Faroes or Andorra after being drawn to face the winners of the first qualifying round tie between Víkingur Gøta or Inter Club d’Escaldes in the draw for the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.

The two-legged tie will take place on July 27 and August 3, with Hibs at home first before travelling to either Andorra or the Faroes for the second leg. Hibs have recently faced opposition from both countries, defeating NSÍ Runavik 12-5 on aggregate during the 2017/18 Europa League qualifiers, and beating FC Santa Coloma in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League qualifiers.

The Easter Road side’s number was the last to be called in the draw at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, by which point their opposition was obvious. They avoided a potentially tricky match-up against Hammarby, who are already 13 games into the Swedish league season, as well as a trip to Finland or Denmark.

A general view of the Europa Conference League trophy at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon

Prior to the draw, Hibs were placed on the seeded side of Group 5 with Club Brugge, FC Twente, Rosenborg, and either Dundalk or Bruno’s Magpies. Lee Johnson’s side knew before the balls were shoogled and the teams drawn that they would be drawn against AGF Aarhus, Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar or Connah’s Quay Nomads, Hammarby, Víkingur Gøta or Inter Club d’Escaldes, and Haka or Crusaders.

Víkingur Gøta were founded in 2008 following a merger between GÍ Gøta and Leirvík ÍF, and qualified for Europe after finishing second in last year’s Faroese top flight, the Betrideildin. They have played 30 times in Europe, winning seven, drawing five, and losing 18. Inter Club d’Escaldes, meanwhile, finished just two points behind their Escaldes-Engordany neighbours Atlètic d'Escaldes in the 2022/23 Primera Divisió. This is their seventh excursion in Europe. They defeated Faroese opposition in the shape of HB Tórshavn in the 2021/22 Champions League preliminary round, before losing to Prishtina of Kosovo and dropping into the Conference League qualifiers and losing to Teuta of Albania.

It is the Easter Road side’s second involvement in European football’s newest continental competition, after their maiden appearance in the summer of 2021 when they were eliminated by HNK Rijeka of Croatia at the third qualifying round stage.