Hibs Women in Champions League draw: Everything you need to know about SWPL title winners' Euro adventure
Complicated process as Grant Scott’s team vie for progress in UEFA’s revamped competition
It’s a Champions League draw. But not as many of us may know it. And if anyone needed further proof of UEFA’s consistent ability to complicate matters, well, just stay tuned from about one o’clock this afternoon.
Hibernian Women’s reward for last season’s stunning SWPL title triumph, their first since 2007, is a place in the Women’s Champions League second qualifying round. The draw for which is scheduled to begin at 14:00 Central European Time – that’s 1 pm back home – today.
So who could Hibs get? Well, there’s Slavia Prague, FC Twente, Rosengaard … or possibly two out of those three, plus another unseeded team. Let’s explain.
Mini-tournaments in each round
Instead of straight knock-out ties in the qualifying rounds, UEFA split up all 28 teams in the second qualifying round into seven groups of four. Each of those groups will stage two semi-finals, a final and a third/fourth-placed play-off.
These ‘mini-tournaments’ will be hosted by one of the clubs. So, technically, Hibs could end up with a couple of home games.
According to UEFA regulations, if only one of the four clubs is interested in hosting, European football’s governing body is happy to go along with that. If more than one of the teams wants to claim home advantage, it gets a little more complicated.
First, UEFA would look for a majority opinion among the clubs taking part. If that doesn’t settle it, priority would be given to “clubs from associations which do not already have clubs hosting a first qualifying round mini-tournament.”
If that still doesn’t break the tie, there would be a drawing of lots. And, if NO-ONE wants to put their hands up and host the four-game festival of football, UEFA just holds a draw – and foists the ‘honour’ on one of the clubs.
The semi-finals will be played on August 27, with the final and third/fourth place play-off on August 3. The winning finalists will progress to the next stage.
So where to Hibs fit into the picture?
They’re unseeded. But are included in the Champions Path, for obvious reasons. Although you can never take anything for granted when it comes to these draws.
The full(ish) list of teams are below. With plenty of either/or combinations because the first qualifying round – which follows the same format of semi-finals and finals – will produce six unseeded entrants for this stage.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
| SK Slavia Praha (CZE) | FC Dinamo-BSUPC (BLR) |
| FC Rosengård (SWE) | Hibernian (SCO) |
| FC Twente (NED) | BSC Young Boys (SUI) |
| Vålerenga Fotball (NOR) | Red Star (SRB) |
| FC Vorskla Poltava (UKR) | OH Leuven (BEL) |
| WFC BIIK-Shymkent (KAZ) | FCV Farul Constanța (ROU) |
| KFF Vllaznia (ALB) | HJK Helsinki (FIN) |
| Apollon Ladies FC (CYP) | GKS Katowice (POL) |
| ŽNK Mura (SVN) | Round 1 winners |
| SFK 2000 Sarajevo (BIH) | Round 1 winners |
| FC Gintra (LTU) | Round 1 winners |
| Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) | Round 1 winners |
| Fortuna Hjørring (DEN) | Round 1 winners |
| Breidablik (ISL) | Round 1 winners |
And the reward for progress is?
There’s a third qualifying round. Which is a straight knockout affair over two legs on September 11 and 18.
Potential opponents include Caroline Weir’s Real Madrid, Paris FC, Atletico de Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Lisbon. So about as tough as it gets.
Teams progressing through that stage join the automatic qualifiers in the 18-team league phase, which runs from October to December. All pretty straightforward from there on in until the final in Oslo on a date to be confirmed in late May.