Hibs qualify for Europe after Celtic victory - full Conference League info plus draw and round dates
Easter Road back in Europe after Scottish Cup final
Hibs have qualified for next season's Conference League after Celtic won the Scottish Cup.
After finishing fifth in the Premiership in the 2025/26 campaign, Hibs missed out on automatic qualification for Europe via the default league placings and became reliant on Celtic defeating Dunfermline Athletic in Saturday's Scottish Cup final at Hampden.
Celtic overcame the Pars 3-1 to complete a domestic double and as a result, Rangers - who finished third in the Premiership - take the Europa League qualifying berth that is normally given to the Scottish Cup winners. As Celtic are already assured of a Champions League finish due to winning the league title, the European places are cascaded down through the league, and that benefits Hibs.
David Gray's men will therefore take their place in the second qualifying round of the Conference League alongside Motherwell, who finished fourth in the league.
Hibs are expected to be seeded for the second qualifying round and will discover their opponents when the draw is made on Wednesday, June 17.
While a full list of Hibs’ potential opponents won’t become clear until all of Europe’s domestic leagues come to a close, some of their potential opponents include IFK Goteborg and GAIS of Sweden, Paks and Debrecen of Hungary, Koper and Bravo of Slovenia, Polissya Zhytomyr and LNZ Cherkasy of Ukraine, DAC Dunajská Streda (Slovakia), Varaždin (Croatia), Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel), Železničar Pančevo (Serbia), Turan Tovuz (Azerbaijan), Zimbru Chișinău (Moldova), Valur (Iceland), Auda (Latvia), Dukagjini (Kosovo) and Valetta (Malta).
They could also face a trip across the Irish sea, as Shelbourne and Coleraine are also in the second qualifying draw. Hibs are heading to Ireland for pre-season and have a game against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on June 30 in the diary.
Being seeded means Hibs will avoid some big hitters such as Danish side FC Copenhagen, Greek giants Panathinaikos, Turkish outfit İstanbul Başakşehir and two opponents of recent years in Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) and Rijeka (Croatia).
The first leg of Hibs' second qualifying round tie will take place on Thursday, July 23, with the second leg on Thursday, July 30. Who plays at home in each leg will be determined when the draw takes place.
To reach the main phase of the Conference League, with is UEFA's third-tier competition, Hibs will need to navigate three rounds in total. The third qualifying round takes place on August 6/13 and then the play-off round on August 20/27.
Hibs reached the play-off round of the Conference League this season and were defeated in extra time by Legia Warsaw. They overcame Partizan Belgrade in the previous round after dropping down from the Europa League in the wake of losing to Midtjylland.
It is the first time in 50 years that Hibs have qualified back-to-back for a major European competition.
Hibs’ involvement in the Conference League means that like Hearts, they will not have to enter the Premier Sports Cup until the round of 16, therefore avoiding the summer group stages. They will not be included in Wednesday’s draw.
Scottish football will have five representatives in total for the three European competitions in the 2026/27 campaign.
Celtic and Hearts will play in the Champions League qualifiers. Celtic enter at the play-off round, while Hearts come in at the second qualifying round. Rangers will enter the Europa League at the second qualifying round stage.